<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Reaper of the Seas by ReaperofBalance</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23337175">Reaper of the Seas</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReaperofBalance/pseuds/ReaperofBalance'>ReaperofBalance</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>One Piece</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alive Sabo (One Piece), Badass Monkey D. Luffy, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Multi, Sex, Smart Monkey D. Luffy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 07:22:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>79,485</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23337175</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReaperofBalance/pseuds/ReaperofBalance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Monkey D. Luffy has been chosen by a warrior not of his world. He has been chosen to become a Reaper: A guardian of worlds that travels from each world and ensures they do not get destroyed. Now that he has been chosen, he plans to build a crew and claim the One Piece, become the Pirate King, and then destroy the corrupt governments before moving to the next world. Poor fools have no idea who they are picking a fight with.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Makino &amp; Monkey D. Luffy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A New Reaper</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Hello everyone and welcome to a fic where my personal OC sets things in motion to cause a bit of chaos and order in the world.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>This will be an intelligent, powerful, and OP Luffy, the latter happening as the story goes. While he won’t be Yonkou level right off the bat; Buggy, Kuro, and Krieg will not be a threat to him and Arlong would entertain him.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Timeline for this chapter maybe a little different then the anime/manga, but the rest will be following Luffy’s adventures but not having the exact same outcomes.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Anyway, let’s get this wild and crazy show on the road.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Disclaimer: I don’t own anything that actually belongs in One Piece.</strong>
</p>
<p>“Speech”</p>
<p>
  <em>“Thoughts”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>‘Conversation thoughts’</em>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>“Non-humanoid/pissed of Luffy voice”</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>“Above’s thoughts”</em>
  </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>“Above’s conversation thoughts”</em>
  </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <em>{Flashback}</em>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>CHAPTER 1: A Pirating Reaper</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Dawn Island: Forests surrounding Foosha Village.</em>
</p>
<p>A young boy with a strawhat was in the woods training to become stronger, his name was Luffy and he wanted to become the King of the Pirates. His grandfather Monkey D. Garp, a famous Marine, had left after ‘training’ him and his two adopted brothers Ace and Sabo for a while. Right now he was training as he knew that his limits had not been met yet and even if they were, he planned to shatter those limits.</p>
<p>A while later, he was on his back tired as he hadn’t stopped since he had started early that morning and was wondering how long before he could set out after his hero, the pirate Red Haired Shanks. His brothers had been better fighters than him, but they were also older and he wanted to show them so badly that he wasn’t the weak little brother that they had to protect all the time.</p>
<p>His thoughts were then broken by an apple being hung above his face. He reached and started eating it before he looked to see a man in black and crimson clothes/armor standing there with a hood pulled over his face. Luffy cocked his head to the side, “Do you have more apples?”</p>
<p>He asked and the man chuckled lightly before setting a couple on the ground beside him and watched as Luffy began eating them whole. The man chuckled watching the boy go before the boy turned towards him after eating the last apple and still looked hungry. The man smirked before taking a scroll of all things and unrolled it before a bowl of apples, a tray of fish, and a rack of meat appeared. Luffy drooled on the ground as he looked at the food before the man nodded and Luffy attacked the food, while the man merely chuckled, “You are a very strange kid.”</p>
<p>He stated and Luffy stopped eating to look at him with a mouth full of food before he gulped it down, “Yeah, well you’re weird too.”</p>
<p>Luffy stated before he went back to eating the food while the man just smiled, <em>“You have no idea how right you are kid.”</em></p>
<p>The man thought as he felt his predecessor in his right arm twitch violently while telling him to get on with it. The man sighed and shook his head before looking at the sky, “Tell me kid, what would you do with power that no one else could match?”</p>
<p>The man asked and Luffy stopped eating to think for a minute, “I would beat anyone who was mean and protect my family.”</p>
<p>He stated with a large grin and the man smirked slightly, “Oh, and what do you classify as mean and how do you define who is your family?”</p>
<p>The man asked and Luffy tilted his head to the side, “Well, mean is anyone that harms someone for no good reason and family is anyone you are close to and care about.”</p>
<p>He stated and the man chuckled at the simplified way he described it while Luffy puffed his cheeks out thinking he was being made fun of, “Interesting view. I view mean as the same, but I also add those who think they are doing the right thing but are doing it the wrong way. Family, I count that as anyone you would die for and would gladly give anything to protect.”</p>
<p>The man stated and Luffy looked at him as he remembered what Shanks did for him, <em>“Shanks, he thought of me as family?!?” </em>Luffy thought as he looked at the man, “I think I get it.”</p>
<p>Luffy stated and the man smirked and patted his head, “Not yet you don’t, but you will one day.”</p>
<p>The man stated with a grin that Luffy mimicked, he didn’t know why but he liked this guy. They were broken from their thoughts when they heard duel cries of, “LUFFY.”</p>
<p>Luffy jumped up, “Over here Ace, Sabo.” He called and the man stood, took his scroll, and began to walk away as the two named Ace and Sabo came over as Luffy looked at the man, “Hey! Where are you going?”</p>
<p>He asked and the man turned and smiled, “Just a walk, I’ll see you again Luffy, don’t worry.”</p>
<p>He stated as he walked farther into the forest while Ace and Sabo looked confusedly, “What’s your name?”</p>
<p>Luffy called out and the man smirked, “Damon A. Corvus, Damon is my first name.”</p>
<p>The now named Damon stated and Luffy grinned, “I’m Monkey D. Luffy, I go by Luffy. It was nice to meet you.”</p>
<p>Luffy called back and the man waved before disappearing, while Ace, a boy a few years older than Luffy with black hair and freckles, looked at his surrogate little brother, “Luffy, who was that guy?”</p>
<p>He asked and Sabo, a boy with blonde hair and a top hat, nodded and Luffy grinned, “A guy that gave me food and told me what he thought family and mean people were.”</p>
<p>Luffy stated with a grin while the two just wondered what was their little brother getting into.</p>
<p>
  <em>A week later</em>
</p>
<p>Luffy and Damon had met each day and talked, while Luffy was starting to grow attached to the guy and had even introduced him to Ace and Sabo, who both took a liking to the guy. This trust only increased when he had saved Sabo when the royalty of the island attempted to burn Grey Terminal to make it look better for a visiting world noble. Damon had not only got Sabo out of their but a large portion of people too and they had taken up residence in Foosha Village. The few who didn’t either went back to Grey Terminal after the world noble left or joined the ‘bandit’ group of the Dadan family, who were the unofficial caretakers of Luffy, Sabo, and Ace.</p>
<p>Sabo, Luffy, Ace, and Curly Dadan, the leader of the Dadan family, thanked Damon profusely and he shrugged it off saying that self-entitled windbags had no right to do as they pleased just because their ancestors had done something useful for the world. Though he did mention to Curly that he had a vast vocabulary of words he could have used to describe the world nobles, but none of them were for a child’s ears. That comment alone had earned him points with Curly and the two had drinking contests at times with Curly losing, while the three boys took to calling him Niisan.</p>
<p>Here and now though, the three boys and Damon were sitting on a cliff that overlooked the horizon with Damon having his hood down showing battle scars on his face as he had one straight across his face from cheekbone to cheekbone, one straight scar down his right eye from his forehead to his jaw, and a diagonal scar across his left eye that went from the left side of his forehead down and across to his lips just under the middle of his nose. Damon looked at Luffy and knew the kid would be great and had met requirements that he had been searching for, “Luffy.”</p>
<p>He stated and said boy turned to his older brother figure, “Would you want the power to protect those that matter to you, even if that same power could scare and harm others if you weren’t careful?”</p>
<p>Damon asked and Luffy frowned before looking like he was thinking, “Could I choose whether it scares someone or not?”</p>
<p>Luffy asked as he didn’t like scaring nice people, only mean people, and Damon had to chuckle at the naïve boy next to him, “Perhaps, but know this Luffy; The people of your village view you with kindness because they know you and know you would never harm them. But there are others that if they find out that you have a Devil Fruit power, they will be afraid of you and you may not be able to change that. However, I say that you shouldn’t worry if people fear you, only worry about how you view yourself and hope those you count as friends and family view you as a good person.”</p>
<p>Damon stated and Luffy frowned before he remembered Shanks didn’t care what happened to him until it came to his friends, then he turned into a dangerous person that would fight a monster to protect those he cared about. Luffy looked up at Damon with a fire in his eyes, “Yes, I would take it and I would protect everyone.”</p>
<p>He declared and Damon chuckled, “Then, would you like me to give you that power?”</p>
<p>He asked and Luffy tilted his head to the side again and Damon chuckled again, “Luffy, I am the most powerful man in the world and I have been looking for someone to pass my powers and knowledge onto that wouldn’t abuse it. I can’t stay in this world, but I can ensure that someone that can will be able to change things for the better. However, taking the power will hurt and permanently change you and it will never be reversed so you have to think carefully and make sure you understand. So I ask again, would you like me to give you that power?”</p>
<p>He asked and Sabo and Ace were surprised that their little brother could be that strong, they were jealous that he was being picked but they also remembered Luffy would do anything for someone he viewed as a friend or nice person. Heck, he almost died to protect Sabo and Ace’s treasure trove from a pirate even after the two of them had threatened to kill him for knowing where it was. With those thoughts in mind, they let it go and were just happy for their little brother.</p>
<p>Luffy thought for a minute before he looked up with a grin and nodded, “I’ll take the power Niisan, and I’ll show the world my power and protect anyone that becomes family or friends with me as well as those who can’t defend themselves.”</p>
<p>He stated with a grin and his brothers smirked at him while Damon smiled, “Alright then Luffy, tomorrow you will inherit my powers and abilities.”</p>
<p>He stated and Luffy nodded with his trademark grin in place.</p>
<p>
  <em>The next day: Clearing in the forest</em>
</p>
<p>Luffy stood in the middle of the clearing with his shirt off and Damon in front of him while Ace, Sabo, Curly and her family, Mayor Woop Slap, and Makino, who was holding Luffy’s hat, stood off to the side. Damon knelt in front of Luffy and palmed the top of his head, “Last chance Luffy, after this there is no going back.”</p>
<p>He stated and Luffy grinned and nodded, which made Damon smile, “Alright, know that you may appear older than you actually are after this. My power will be altering your body to a point that it can handle what will happen. You will still grow naturally when you are as old as your body appears, but will be the same mental level you were with the added benefits of my own intelligence. Needless to say, there is going to be quite a bit of discomfort for you ahead, are you ready?”</p>
<p>He informed then asked and the people around were shocked at that information while Luffy nodded. Damon nodded back and took a breath before he gently pushed his hand into Luffy’s chest and everyone was shocked as the hand went through Luffy’s skin and went inside. Damon closed his eyes in concentration before his body began to glow and then the glow started pouring into Luffy who grit his teeth as the unfamiliar feeling came in and his body started hurting. Then he glowed brightly and everyone covered their eyes.</p>
<p>When they opened their eyes, they were surprised as Luffy now looked like he was 10-12 years old, he had a six pack of abs, his arms were muscular but not bulky, his hair reached his shoulders and seemed wilder, and he had tattoos of a Shark, Eagle, and Bear on his left arm, a raptor on his back, and a grey ring on his right arm at the wrist with what looked like a snout of something in it.</p>
<p>The others were surprised by this, while Makino thought he looked really cute and would be very handsome in the future, with that latter thought making her blush slightly. Luffy shook his head slightly as he gazed up at Damon, who was smiling, “Congrats Luffy, you’re a Reaper.”</p>
<p>
  <em>10 years later: Dock of Foosha Village</em>
</p>
<p>Luffy stood on the docks thinking about how Shanks had left a little over a decade ago and how Ace had left 3 years ago to the day. He stood with his treasured hat on his head, a crimson wife beater, black padded pants with crimson stripes going down the side of the legs, black boots with metal souls, and a black long jacket that fit his form perfectly with his jolly roger on the back, which was a grinning skull and crossbones with a strawhat on top and the skull had a scar down its right eye and a diagonal scar down the left eye. On his wrists he wore bracers, on his legs he wore greaves, and on his waist was a belt that had an attached piece of leather that covered part of his stomach. He also had a sword handle sticking out of the top of his coat, a pair of pistols attached to his belt, and a long battle knife at the back of his waist.</p>
<p>Luffy had grown, naturally, in the past ten years; he was over 6’ 6” and his body was lean and muscular similar to that of a professional runner, his face had become free of baby fat and made him look more mature and he had a small ponytail to the base of his neck from his wild hair. The most notable difference was the scar down his right eye and the scar diagonally across his left, mementos of his older brother/father figure as he had approached Damon about looking cooler and feeling a connection.</p>
<p>
  <em>{Flashback: 5 years ago}</em>
</p>
<p>Luffy was relaxing on the ground as his Niisan had been training him nonstop in his new abilities while helping him to unlock more as his body was able to handle it. He turned his head to look at said man, “Niisan, can I ask you something?”</p>
<p>He asked and the man looked at him and nodded, “Some of the townspeople commented that we seemed like a father and son, could I call you dad?”</p>
<p>He asked and Damon raised an eyebrow before smiling and nodded, “Alright, you can if you want.”</p>
<p>He stated and Luffy grinned before sitting up, “Do you think you could give me cool scars like yours? I want something to remember everything you’ve done and to show we are connected to each other.”</p>
<p>He asked and Damon sweatdropped as he wondered why young people always wanted scars, but he also figured a pirate needed some form of scar to show off to enemies. With that thought Damon nodded and placed his hand on Luffy’s head before his arm glowed again and Luffy grit his teeth in pain as the two scars formed on his face. Luffy traced his finger over the two scars before he grinned and hugged Damon, “Thanks dad.”</p>
<p>He said with the grin still present and Damon chuckled before returning the hug.</p>
<p>
  <em>{End Flashback}</em>
</p>
<p>Luffy broke from his thoughts when he felt arms wrap around him and he smiled as he turned and had Makino in his arms with her having ten pouches on her waist and a bow and crossbow on her back while wearing shorts that reached her mid thighs, a tank top, and heeled shoes with her yellow bandanna in her hair. Luffy smiled at his girlfriend of over a year which she returned as her thoughts of him being cute and him going to be handsome were correct and a certain conversation made her forget her fears about being older than him.</p>
<p>
  <em>{Flashback: 4 years ago}</em>
</p>
<p>Luffy and Damon were sitting the tavern drinking their respective drinks, juice and grog respectfully, while Makino was there tending as she always does though the bar was mostly empty nowadays. Luffy had hit a growth spurt due to some abilities and was already pushing 6’ at the age of 13. Damon of course had noticed Luffy would look at Makino every once in a while and blush, which was natural due to his hormones kicking in, before Damon nudged him and he took a breath, “Makino.”</p>
<p>He stated and she turned towards him and he was still blushing, “Would you, would you go on a date with me?”</p>
<p>He asked and Makino widened her eyes with a blush while smiling and fidgeting slightly, “Luffy, I think I am too old for you, otherwise I would love to.”</p>
<p>She stated with a frown while looking down before Damon’s voice broke through the tense air, “Oh, you don’t need to worry about that.” He stated before taking a drink while both looked at him, “You see, one of the things I gave him keeps him from aging past his full maturity and he can mark either his allies or his loves with that same ability. So it really doesn’t matter if you are older than him since you both can live extended lives until Luffy dies in some way.”</p>
<p>He stated with a smile and Makino’s eyes lit up before she grabbed Luffy’s face, while inwardly finding him cute as his face squished slightly, and kissed him full on the lips causing Luffy to widen his eyes before Makino pulled back and smiled, “When you are 16 Luffy, then I will be happy to go on a date with you.”</p>
<p>She stated and Luffy grinned and nodded while Damon smirked thinking about how they would react to the difference on how exactly Luffy would mark his loves and his allies. His allies could be marked the same way he gave Luffy the powers he was going to wield, while his loves could be done that way or he could mark them during sex. Damon chuckled lightly deciding he would tell Luffy in a few years that way he would get a few years without blushing and possibly getting a nosebleed every time he saw Makino.</p>
<p>He also idly wondered when they would notice he said loves and not love.</p>
<p>
  <em>{Flashback end}</em>
</p>
<p>Needless to say, the two noticed shortly after and had imitated tomatoes while Daman had subtly pointed out to Makino, as Luffy would not understand, that Luffy was a stamina freak and his new abilities were only going to reinforce that and the fact that Luffy was so caring and friendly meant that there would probably be a few girls/women that would fall for him. Luffy, somewhat getting it, simply stated that he wouldn’t do it if Makino said no and that he wouldn’t be like nobles that he saw who treated their women as possessions, any women that got his affections would be treated equally as that is what they deserved.</p>
<p>That statement had earned him another kiss from Makino and she told him that she wasn’t saying no, but she wasn’t saying yes either. Just that she needed time and to see if she would share or not.</p>
<p>Breaking out of their reminiscing, Makino kissed his cheek and smiled, “What are you thinking about Luffy?”</p>
<p>She asked while keeping her smile and Luffy smiled before kissing her nose, which caused her to giggle, “Just thinking about dad.”</p>
<p>He stated with a bit of disappointment and Makino nodded sadly as Damon left 6 months ago stating that everything else Luffy had to learn were things he would have to learn by himself, but if Luffy ever called for his help, then he would come in a heartbeat. Makino had felt bad for Luffy, but she also understood since a parental figure couldn’t hover over the child forever or the child would never grow to their best potential. She even owed the man as he taught her to shoot a bow very well and she became the most skilled archer on the island, “I’m sure you’ll see him soon. He did promise to be here to see you off.”</p>
<p>She stated as she rubbed his scar under his left eye and he nodded, “Yeah, you’re right. Everything ready?”</p>
<p>He stated and asked with a grin while Makino giggled at her boyfriend’s switch like attitudes, “Almost, Sabo is ‘repurposing’ some valuables from the nobles and will be here shortly.”</p>
<p>She stated and Luffy nodded as Sabo had put off leaving early like he planned, so that he could train under Damon in Sai fighting which Damon told him were excellent for an agile, fast, and flexible fighter like him. The Sais were permanently made into his weapon when he ate a devil fruit called the Speed Speed Fruit, which allowed him to burst with incredible speed, but with a time delay between uses depending on the distance and speed used. He became very adept at using quick hit and run tactics which were perfect for Sai combat. It also gave him the expertise of master pickpockets and thieves as he could speed down a busy street and get 20+ wallets without anyone even noticing they had been robbed or that someone had even passed them.</p>
<p>Naturally, he and Luffy stated that they weren’t stealing, they were ‘repurposing’ and had used parts of that to get a small trade ship for them to use for a small amount, and Luffy naturally used some money to buy Makino gifts, which made her less upset and then the memory of the Grey Terminal incident made her completely fine with what they were doing. Especially when Celestial Dragons visited and they repurposed their wallets, jewels, and weapons.</p>
<p>Their musings were interrupted by the timely arrival of Sabo. He still kept his short hair and his top hat, but had upgraded to a full black business suit with rose red accents and dress boots with his Sais being in his jacket. The suit was form fitting, but showed that it could adjust for his movements. The odd thing was that he had bells attached to his hat ring, small wind chime like trinkets as his cufflinks, and spur like items on the heels of his boots. Sabo used these as his training regimen as he could use his Speed Speed Fruit to get by dozens of people and go large distances over different terrains without making any noises from his noise making items. Even now as he walked towards them, he kept his body in such a position that the items couldn’t make any noises.</p>
<p>Sabo walked up with a bag and grinned, “One last repurposing mission before we start getting attention.”</p>
<p>He stated and Luffy grinned and chuckled while Makino giggled at her friend’s attitude before they boarded the ship and loosed the sails while the Dadan Family, Mayor, and the townspeople waved them off while Luffy noticed someone on one of the rooftops waving while he stood next to a flag with Luffy’s Jolly Roger on it as Foosha village had officially made itself the first territory of the future Pirate King and Reaper of the High Seas. Luffy grinned and returned the waves while focusing more on the man than anyone else</p>
<p>The man on the rooftop stood and watched as his surrogate son set sail for his dream and destiny, <em>“Good luck Luffy, may God guide you and may you never face the horrors that I have.”</em></p>
<p>The man thought before disappearing in a burst of black fire that didn’t even damage the building he was on. However, he missed Luffy punching the stupid creature that took Shanks’ arm over a decade ago right out of the water with an aggravated glint to his eyes.</p>
<p>
  <em>On the boat with Luffy and company: A short while later</em>
</p>
<p>Luffy stood against the mast of the ship watching the waves hit the ship as it went while Sabo steered and Makino was hugging Luffy from behind, “So Luffy, where to first?”</p>
<p>Sabo asked and Luffy thought for a second, “I honestly don’t know at the moment, but I feel a few potential crew members are in this sea and we shouldn’t leave without them.”</p>
<p>He stated and his two crewmates nodded as, since Luffy became what Damon called a Reaper, Luffy had had weird feelings every now and again and they were always correct. So, if he said he felt they had crewmates in this ocean and shouldn’t leave without them, then they were gonna sail this sea for as long as they had to until they found them, “Alright, any particular direction?”</p>
<p>Sabo asked and Luffy nodded and pointed… straight in the direction of a whirlpool. The two sweatdropped as they should have guessed that would happen. Sabo sighed and steered towards it before speeding down and grabbing three barrels which Luffy tied tightly together and Sabo and Makino both jumped in theirs while Luffy took anything on the boat they didn’t want lost before he sealed the other two’s barrels before he jumped in his and sealed it tight just as the ship got dragged down beneath the water.</p>
<p>Strangely enough, all three found the noise to be relaxing and dozed off while being sucked down by the whirlpool.</p>
<p>
  <em>Hours later</em>
</p>
<p>Luffy awoke to a rocking sensation as he heard two men talking about how they were lucky to find three barrels of grog tied together just floating in the water. Before a cry of pirates echoed out and the men scrambled away. It was only about 10 minutes later that he heard footsteps again before a voice cut through, “Well Coby, did you go and find us three barrels of grog?”</p>
<p>The voice asked and he felt fear from a person in the room and felt someone approach before he burst out of the barrel and punched a guy into the ceiling. Luffy popped his neck a few times before turning to see two pirates and a pinked haired kid. The two appeared to be angry at him before he broke their swords and they ran off.</p>
<p>He then moved over to the barrels and opened them before waking and helping Makino out while Sabo just stretched. Luffy turned to the boy who cringed slightly before he smiled slightly and stuck his hand out, “Hi, I’m Luffy. Do you know where any food is?”</p>
<p>Luffy asked and Coby gulped before shaking his hand, “I’m Coby and I think I know where the storeroom is.”</p>
<p>He stated before leading them to the storeroom and Luffy began pigging out while Makino ate at a moderate pace and Sabo just ate like a gentleman while sipping wine, “So what were you three doing in those barrels?”</p>
<p>Coby asked and they all smiled sheepishly, “Our boat got pulled into a whirlpool so we had to get in the barrels to survive.”</p>
<p>Luffy stated and Coby was shocked and was about to speak before Luffy held an apple to him and he took it. Luffy looked at Coby and felt he was a strong person, just needed the right touch to bring it out, “Do you have any dreams Coby?”</p>
<p>Luffy asked and Coby paused in his eating before nodding, “Yeah, I want to become a Marine.”</p>
<p>He stated and the three looked at each other before chuckling, which Coby took offense to before Luffy held his hand up, “We aren’t laughing at your dream, Coby, we’re laughing at the irony as we’re pirates but my grandfather is a Vice Admiral.”</p>
<p>Luffy stated while still chuckling ignoring the shocked look of Coby, “Why would you want to be a pirate?!?!? They’re cruel, evil, nasty, and…”</p>
<p>He was cut off by Luffy poking his forehead, “Just because some are, doesn’t mean all are. There are good people and bad people in the world Coby. Unfortunately, there are no jobs or professions in the world that only one type works in. Even my grandfather said there were bad Marines that take justice too far because they believe their rank makes them better than others and that the government needs them too badly to stop them from being corrupt.”</p>
<p>Luffy stated with serious eyes and Coby found he couldn’t refute it, “I-I suppose that is true, I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>He stated and Luffy grinned before messing up his hair, “It’s ok, you didn’t mean anything by it. You were basing your opinions on your previous interactions with pirates and just grew to believe that since the Marines stop pirates that automatically made them the good guys.”</p>
<p>Luffy stated and Coby nodded, “Yeah, I’ve been a slave in all but name to the pirate Iron Mace Alvida for two years now. I accidently got on her boat while being distracted and she wouldn’t let me leave.”</p>
<p>Luffy quirked an eyebrow as he had learned all the bounties in the East Blue and the world famous ones and she was one of the lowest there were. He honestly believed that she could be as beautiful as she claimed if she tried and stopped being cruel to people.</p>
<p>However, their thoughts were broken as the ceiling broke and showed said woman over them, “Coby, what are you doing with these outsiders?”</p>
<p>She growled out while Luffy cocked his head to the side, “We were eating, would you like to join us?”</p>
<p>Luffy stated and the crew gaped at him for his bluntness while Alvida blinked at the handsome man before her as he didn’t look at her in fear or disgust just… disappointment, “Why would I do that?”</p>
<p>She asked and Luffy blinked, “Because you might be hungry and there is plenty for everyone.”</p>
<p>He stated before he grabbed Makino and Coby and jumped onto the deck as Alvida’s mace came crashing down where he was while Sabo just used his Speed Speed fruit to get away and up to the deck while still sipping his wine.</p>
<p>Luffy moved ahead and stood still in front Alvida while she shouldered her mace and her crew were waiting for orders. None came before she moved forward and slammed her mace down before she was shocked as Luffy caught it with one hand and held it there, “I apologize, but you aren’t strong enough to beat me.”</p>
<p>He stated and Coby was shocked before he started to feel hope, “Yeah! You tell that ugly hippo, Luffy.” He stated to the shock of the crew and annoyance of Alvida before Luffy stretched his arm and bonked him on the head, much to the shock of everyone not with Luffy, while Coby held his head, “OW, why did you hit me Luffy?”</p>
<p>He asked while everyone else, but Makino and Sabo, were curious as well and Luffy sighed, “You don’t insult a woman Coby, no matter their actions or whatever your excuse is, you never insult a woman.” He stated to the shock of the previously mentioned people before he turned back to Alvida, “I have little doubt she will be as beautiful as she has everyone say she is, if she would only let her beauty out.” He stated with a smile, that made Alvida widen her eyes and blush, before he frowned slightly, “I apologize for what I have to do now.”</p>
<p>He stated before ramming his fist into her gut causing her to hunch over in pain and gasp for air before she collapsed forward with Luffy’s fist still in her gut. Luffy set her down gently onto the deck before he turned and glared at the pirates who were shaking in fear before he frowned, “Get a boat ready for Coby to take, now.”</p>
<p>He ordered and they frantically did as they were told, while he looked at Alvida sadly, “Find me if you find your real beauty Alvida. I’ll be waiting.” He stated before she blacked out as he and the others got on the small boat and found themselves next to another small boat with an orange haired girl on board tying down loot. Luffy smirked and saluted her before using one of his powers and his right arm had an emerald green glow around it before he pushed his hand forward and made a wind come out of nowhere and fill their sail and push them towards the nearest Marine base while the orange haired girl looked on in shock before she tied down her sack of loot and set off while wondering who the heck those people were.</p>
<p>Luffy let the breeze die down before he sat at the back end of the boat while Sabo used his Speed Speed Fruit to make it so he could row quickly while Coby was still in shock that he was free and Luffy beat Alvida in one punch and Makino was sitting in Luffy’s lap cuddled up close to him, “So, I’ve been thinking.”</p>
<p>She said softly so the other two wouldn’t hear, as Sabo was hearing the water too much and Coby was still stuck, and then sighed in content as Luffy started stroking her hair, “Really? What about?”</p>
<p>He asked and she smiled softly, “Sharing you.” She stated and he paused in stroking her hair for a minute to look at her before she continued, “I decided I’ll agree to it so long as you agree to three things.” She stated and he nodded before looking at her, “You treat us all equally, you make sure we each get time alone with you, and you have to get approval from anyone that is currently with you before you can be with someone new.”</p>
<p>She stated and Luffy looked at her for a second before smiling and kissing her nose, “Those were going to be the rules regardless, but I appreciate the confidence.” He stated and she rolled her eyes before kissing his cheek and getting comfortable in his arms while he turned to Coby, “So Coby, what’s this Marine base we are heading towards like?”</p>
<p>He asked and Coby broke from his reboot to gape like a fish for a second before his eyes watered, “I’M FREE!!” He shouted with a laugh while the three pirates chuckled at him before Luffy’s question registered in his mind, “Oh! Uh, it’s the one at Shells Town and is led by a Captain ‘Axe’ Morgan, who supposedly caught Kuro of the thousand plans a few years back.”</p>
<p>He stated and Luffy nodded, “Anything else?”</p>
<p>He asked and Coby thought for a second before snapping his fingers, “Oh yeah, the pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro is supposed to be imprisoned there!”</p>
<p>Coby stated and all three perked up before Luffy smirked, “Looks like we just found our next crewmate.”</p>
<p>Luffy stated and his two crewmates chuckled at him while Coby gaped. Normally Coby would be shouting about how he was an evil man and was locked up for a reason, but Luffy’s comments on people of the world made him pause and consider, was he really a bad man or was he just viewed that way because he didn’t agree with the government’s views? Or perhaps he simply found one of the corrupted Marines and simply didn’t get out of it that well?</p>
<p>Coby sighed as there were multiple possibilities for why he could be tied up, but Coby hoped that the Marines weren’t as corrupt as they now seemed the possibility of being. He did have some hope as Luffy had mentioned that his grandfather was a Vice Admiral and he didn’t say it with any spite or disappointment, so maybe he was a good man and one worthy of serving under.</p>
<p>However, his thoughts were broken when he remembered something, “Hey Luffy, what is your dream?”</p>
<p>He asked and Luffy blinked before grinning widely, “To be the King of the Pirates.” He stated with enthusiasm while Coby gawked at him, “I know it seems impossible, but a man has the right to follow his dream no matter the obstacles. After all, what good is having a dream if it is easy to obtain? Isn’t that what dreams are supposed to be, something you’re strive for no matter what?”</p>
<p>He stated and asked and Coby closed his mouth and remained quiet for a few minutes before nodding and smiled sadly, while feeling his respect for Luffy increase, “Yeah, though I am kinda bummed that we will be enemies in the future.”</p>
<p>He stated before being poked in the head again while Luffy grinned, “Nah, we won’t be enemies Coby. Enemies dislike each other and want the other dead, we can still be friends, it just gets a little complicated if you ever come after me. Heck, from what I learned my grandpa was friends with Gol D. Roger during his reign and my Grandpa was the one who brought him in.”</p>
<p>He stated and Coby was shocked at the declaration while happy that he could still keep his friend before a question popped into his mind, “Who is your grandfather?”</p>
<p>He asked as he wondered why he hadn’t maybe heard of him and when he saw Luffy chuckle, he got the feeling Luffy was about to drop a bomb on him, “Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp AKA Garp the Fist.”</p>
<p>Luffy stated while Coby gaped wondering how such a respected Marine’s grandson could become a pirate but decided to drop it for now as talking with Luffy was starting to give him a headache due to the rampaging thoughts he stirred up, “Anyway, I can’t wait to meet Zoro. It should be interesting.” Luffy stated with a grin as Makino giggled, Sabo smirked, and Coby just chuckled lightly as Luffy’s upbeat attitude was infectious.</p>
<p>
  <em>Shells Town: Marine Base: Courtyard</em>
</p>
<p>A muscular man with lightly tanned skin wearing black boots, black pants, a lime green haramaki at his waist, a white t-shirt with the top three buttons undone, three gold earrings that looked like mini Blackjacks on his left ear, and a black bandana on his head stood tied to a cross appearing dead but if one looked in his eyes they would see the will to live burning brightly, it just needed someone to give it a way out. Luckily for him, the very person he needed was on his way right now to recruit him.</p>
<p>
  <strong>DONE!</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter and I hope to hear from all of y’all. Naturally, you’ll be seeing more of Luffy, Sabo, and Makino’s skills as we move on.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Next time is recruiting Zoro and some other stuff</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Let me hear your thoughts, later everyone.</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Hunter and Clown</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luffy arrives at Shell Town to recruit Roronoa Zoro and then it's time to fight a clown</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Hello everyone and welcome to Chapter 2. </strong>
  <strong>So this will cover Shells Island, Orange Town, and the Island of Rare Animals before ending just before arriving at Syrup Village and the Kuro incident. Also, this chapter will give some insight and details about some of Luffy’s powers and potential.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Anyway, let’s move on to what you all actually want to see.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Disclaimer: If I owned One Piece, then I would have fired the person who thought that Ace should have been killed off and then I’d have never allowed such a thing to happen. LONG LIVE ACE… So long as he doesn’t pull a Sasuke because Whitebeard died and then goes psychotic. Beyond that happening, then yeah… long live Ace.</strong>
</p><p>“Speech”</p><p>
  <em>“Thoughts”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘Conversation thoughts’</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>“Non-humanoid/pissed off Luffy voice”</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“Above’s thoughts”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“Above’s conversation thoughts”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <em>{Flashback}</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>CHAPTER 2: A Hunter and Clown</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>Ocean: Just off the coast of Shells Island: A day later</em>
</p><p>Luffy was still resting on the back end of the boat with Makino in his lap and arms while Coby and Sabo were switching between the two for rowing assignments. After a few hours, they were almost to Shells Island and looked to see the small port they needed to dock at.</p><p>Disembarking to check out the island, Coby was excited to be joining the Marines, Sabo was looking for any rich idiots to rob, Makino was enjoying the sight of a new town/village, and Luffy was looking forward to meeting Zoro, “Hey Coby, where do you think we can find Zoro?”</p><p>Luffy asked and, before Coby could respond, the nearby people moved away with fear evident on their faces and Luffy shrugged it off and kept walking while Coby was confused, but shrugged it off as well thinking maybe the pirate hunter was just not a friendly person, “Uh, I guess Zoro *que more scared reactions* would be at the marine base under the command of Captain Morgan.”</p><p>He stated and the people jumped back with pale faces at the mention of Morgan. Coby grew confused while Luffy blinked a few times before turning to Coby, “Still think that all Marines are good guys?”</p><p>Luffy asked and Coby sighed as he was starting to see Luffy’s point and was getting more disappointed with what he was seeing of the Marines so far as they walked towards the base. Upon arriving, Luffy saw Zoro, strapped to a cross just hanging there in the middle of courtyard, when he climbed on the wall to get a better view. However, before he could go talk to him, a girl moved a ladder to the wall and climbed up before going up to Zoro and offering him some rice balls before some loudmouth named Helmeppo, apparently Morgan’s son, came and took the rice balls before slamming them into the ground after he had tasted them.</p><p>He then had his subordinates throw the girl over the wall, which they reluctantly did, but Luffy caught her and made sure she was alright. Luffy then sent Makino and Coby with her to take her home while he went to talk with Zoro and Sabo decided to rob Helmeppo.</p><p>Zoro sighed tiredly as he was hoping the kid would be able to give him the food before someone saw, being tied down for 27 days with no food or water would do that to you, but at least he only had 3 days left before he would be freed. His thoughts were broken as he looked up to see Luffy there, “So you’re Roronoa Zoro the pirate hunter?”</p><p>Luffy asked and Zoro looked him over and was able to feel the man’s power and skill flowing off of him, <em>“If I weren’t tied down right now, I would want to fight him.”</em> He thought before he grunted towards Luffy, “So, what if I am?”</p><p>He asked and Luffy smirked, he liked this guy’s attitude and spirit, “I was wondering if you would join my crew since I plan to become King of the Pirates.”</p><p>He stated and Zoro widened his eyes slightly, “Sorry, but no. I have my own ambitions and I plan to stick it out here to fulfill a deal I made since in 3 days I get released. Even if I didn’t, I can’t afford to tag along with you when I have my own dream to follow; I will become the world’s greatest swordsman and no one will stand in my way.”</p><p>He stated and Luffy smirked and nodded, “Fair enough, though I have to tell you that you’ll never succeed in your dream of greatest swordsman if you stay in the East Blue. The East Blue is considered to be the weakest of all the seas, so having the title of best swordsman of this sea means little to nothing when comparing yourself to the other oceans and their respective swordsman.”</p><p>He stated and Zoro widened his eyes before Luffy grinned, “If you came with me, then you would be guaranteed to find and fight strong individuals that would test your skill, strength, and resolve.” He stated keeping the grin and Zoro looked down in thought, “Hey, how about if that Helmeppo guy lied, then I free you and you join my crew?”</p><p>He asked and Zoro snorted, “Maybe. Now get out of here, but before you go, can you give those rice balls the girl made?”</p><p>He asked and Luffy nodded gave them to him as he swallowed them and Luffy agreed to tell her that he enjoyed them and everything. Luffy began walking back to town with Sabo appearing next to him and caught a pouch of gold coins from him before leading Sabo back towards where he could feel Makino and Coby, <em>“Dad was right, this sensing energy thing does come in handy.”</em></p><p>Luffy thought before they entered a small bar and sat with their two friends while Rika’s caretaker brought them food and everything while Rika was happy that Zoro enjoyed her food. Their moment of contentment was ruined when Helmeppo came in claiming that he was going to execute Zoro tomorrow.</p><p>Naturally, Luffy took offense to that and punched Helmeppo through the wall and lodged him into the wall of the opposite building. Luffy blinked at the wall before setting some money on the counter and apologizing for the damage before telling his friends he was going to go get Zoro. Sabo and Makino stood and followed him while apologizing to the others for the disturbance.</p><p>Luffy leapt over the wall while Sabo used his Speed Speed fruit to get himself and Makino over the wall. Luffy stood in front of Zoro and sighed, “Helmeppo is gonna kill you tomorrow.”</p><p>He stated and Zoro widened his eyes before gritting his teeth. He then smirked, “Well, looks like I’m gonna be joining you after all, captain.”</p><p>He stated maintaining the smirk and Luffy grinned, “Hey Sabo, go get his swords. Should be three of them together in the main building.”</p><p>Luffy ordered and Sabo nodded before disappearing after tapping his feet on the ground a few times. Luffy then noticed a statue being raised on the main building and smirked, “I’ll be back in a second.”</p><p>He stated before stretching his arms onto the wall and launched himself towards the main building while Zoro was gaping at the sight before he turned to the giggling Makino, “Who the heck is that guy?”</p><p>He asked and Makino continued giggling, “My boyfriend.” She stated through the giggles as she watched Luffy fly at the statue.</p><p>With said rubber boy/man, he had flown over the building and saw a large statue that looked like the high ranking officer with an axe for a hand observing its positioning, “Hey axe boy!” Luffy called getting everyone to look up at him, “That statue yours?”</p><p>He asked and the man frowned before nodding and then felt a cold chill go down his spine as Luffy grinned ferally, “Good, then I don’t have to feel bad about this.”</p><p>He stated before shooting his leg into the air and then slamming it onto the statue obliterating it causing the Marines and ‘axe boy’ to gape at him in shock before he dived through the roof door and made his way through the building with the officer ordering his men to find Luffy and kill him.</p><p>Luffy arrived at one room before seeing Coby and Makino trying to untie Zoro before some Marines aimed their rifles at them. Luffy frowned and launched himself between them as the Marines fired and the bullets hit him, causing Zoro and Coby to gape in fear and shock, before the bullets rocketed back hitting the soldiers or making them do a dance to dodge.</p><p>Luffy stood straight and popped his neck before glaring at the Marines as the area filled with the cold feeling of death. Makino was fine as she had been around Luffy and his father for a while so she had experienced worse, Coby was on his knees sweating, and Zoro was working up a sweat, “Do not ever point weapons at my friends or girlfriend again, or you will die.”</p><p>Luffy stated in a cold tone before the feeling got worse and the Marines started collapsing. Luffy let it up as Sabo came carrying three Katanas and Luffy nodded before drawing his sword; a pure black, 3-foot-long, serrated, silvered edged machete with a gold handle and cut Zoro’s bindings, while said swordsman noticed something like a hum coming from Luffy’s sword, and Sabo gave Zoro his swords before they turned to see Morgan there with more Marines, who charged with their blades drawn. However, they stopped as Zoro appeared blocking the blades from touching his new captain with a blade in each hand and the third’s handle in his mouth, “Move and you die.”</p><p>Zoro stated and the Marines cringed in fear as Zoro turned towards Luffy, “I am telling you now; if you get in the way of my ambitions to become the greatest swordsman, I will kill you.”</p><p>He stated and Luffy chuckled with a grin, “I wouldn’t settle for anyone but the best. The King of the Pirates can’t not have the best swordsman in the world on his crew. How could the Greatest Pirate not have the Greatest Swordsman on his crew?”</p><p>He stated and Zoro smirked, he was starting to like this guy. He then pushed up and spun slashing the Marines in non-vital points to get them off before they heard a click and saw Helmeppo there with a gun at Coby’s head. Luffy frowned and nodded at Sabo, who disappeared and put his sais at Helmeppo’s neck, “Drop the gun and I won’t give you a new way to breathe.”</p><p>Sabo ordered and Helmeppo obeyed as Morgan brought his axe down on Luffy. However, he and a few others were shocked to see Luffy catch the axe with his bare hand and not move at all. Luffy looked up at Morgan, who could have sworn he saw Luffy’s eyes change into something dangerous, before he snapped Morgan’s axe in half and then drilled him in the face cracking his metal jaw and sent him flying into the wall… and then through it before he became embedded in the main building’s wall.</p><p>Luffy cracked his knuckles before turning to the remaining Marines and stopping Zoro from attacking, “Call Monkey D. Garp and tell him what happened.”</p><p>He stated and the Marines looked at each other before Luffy growled, “NOW MARINES!!”</p><p>He shouted and the Marines scrambled to obey, “And when you get ahold of him, tell him his grandson says hi.”</p><p>He stated and the Marines, Helmeppo, and Zoro gaped at Luffy before the next ranking officer came up, “Thank you for stopping Morgan. Unfortunately, no matter how grateful we are, you can’t stay as you are a pirate and we are Marines.”</p><p>He stated and Luffy shrugged, “We’ll leave tomorrow. It will take a while for gramps to get here anyway.” He stated and the officer nodded as that was agreeable, “Also, give gramps this when he arrives.”</p><p>Luffy stated as he gave the officer a note before walking off with his arm around Makino, Sabo right behind, and Zoro following with a confused expression on his face. The officer, too curious not to, looked at the note and had to suppress a chuckle, <em>Hey Gramps, I want you to take Coby; pink hair, glasses, kinda scrawny, and the guy named Helmeppo; blonde with weird sense of clothing and cries a lot, as your students. Coby has good navigation skills and is quick on his feet while the Helmeppo guy seems to be somewhat competent in movement and quick hit and run attacks. I think they can both reach Admiral level depending on how hard you punch them throughout training. Anyways, love you and hope to see you soon.</em></p><p>
  <em>Signed, Monkey D. Luffy: Future Pirate King.</em>
</p><p>The note read and the officer folded it and stuck it in his coat before helping his men drag the unconscious Morgan to the jail, while wondering what type of pirates Luffy would lead.</p><p>
  <em>Next day: At Sea</em>
</p><p>Luffy and them were sailing towards the next island that the commander had told them was just a quiet island with a small town without any problems but they may find supplies or another destination. Luffy had thanked the man while saying goodbye to Coby and Rika before they started sailing with Zoro being somewhat happy that he at least had two fellow crew members to rely on, though he was curious to what Luffy had done in the courtyard, “Hey Luffy, what was that thing you did in the courtyard that made some of the Marines pass out?”</p><p>He asked and Luffy looked at him for a minute before speaking, “It’s called Killing Intent, it allows you to channel your will to harm or kill something and then release it out into the air and those who are weak willed can’t take it and pass out or a few have even committed suicide to prevent a worse death from befalling them. In extreme cases, you can even project an aura so strong that people’s hearts either stop or explode from the power. You can also release it as a pressure to make enemies collapse to their knees or worse.”</p><p>He stated and Zoro had a gob smacked expression to his face, “Where the hell did you learn to do that?!?”</p><p>He shouted and Luffy chuckled, “My dad. He is the strongest person in the world and he wanted to ensure that I could challenge him for that title and grow to be able to take on anyone that I met.”</p><p>He stated and Zoro widened his eyes slightly, “Was he really that strong?”</p><p>He asked and Luffy nodded, “Yeah, he never did anything to get someone’s attention but all the high level people knew rumors about a man called Reaper moving from place to place looking for someone and they all stayed clear of him.”</p><p>He stated and Zoro raised an eyebrow, “And what was he looking for?”</p><p>He asked as he felt that more primal side of him wanting to find the man and fight him and Luffy smirked, “A successor.”</p><p>He stated and Zoro widened his eyes before smirking, “Ok, that settles it. We’re going to fight at some point.”</p><p>He stated and Luffy chuckled and nodded, “I figured. I’m not a pure swordsman, but I may be able to help you get better.”</p><p>He stated with a grin while Zoro smirked before he remembered the sword from before and voiced his question, “About your sword, why did it give of a humming noise?”</p><p>He stated and Luffy raised an eyebrow slightly, “So you heard my sword enjoying itself? Strange, I wonder why you can’t hear your sword then? I can feel its calm and calculating aura from here. It trusts you completely and is unyielding to anyone but you.”</p><p>He stated and Zoro took his Wado Ichimonji and looked at it intently while Luffy smirked, “When you’re ready, you’ll hear its voice and it will allow you to use new and powerful techniques.”</p><p>He stated and Zoro remained silent as he stared at his trusted blade and to an extent companion as he wondered what Wado wanted to say to him as he knew the other two blades were nothing special, just basic blades that could be obtained anywhere, while the other crew members just continued relax along the way to the nearest island.</p><p>
  <em>3 days later: Just off the coast of Orange Islands</em>
</p><p>Luffy and them were just lazing about before Luffy saw a bird in the sky, “Huh, could be interesting.”</p><p>He stated before latching to the top of the mast and launching at the bird as his crew noticed the size of the bird in comparison to his size and Zoro sweatdropped at the sight, “He’s gonna be a handful, isn’t he?”</p><p>Zoro asked and Sabo chuckled and Makino giggled, “Yes, but there is no one that you could want on your side over him.”</p><p>Makino stated as Zoro sighed before he started rowing faster to the island that the bird was flying over before he saw it get hit by something and start falling.</p><p>
  <em>Orange Town</em>
</p><p>The orange haired girl Luffy had bumped into when he encountered Alvida was running through a deserted town while three people chased her. This was Nami, the Thief of Pirates, and she had just stolen a map of the Grand Line, the most dangerous and wild ocean/sea in existence, from Buggy the Clown… Yes, a clown pirate/pirate clown, because what kind of world would this be without there being a pirate clown?</p><p>Anyway, she was running before she heard Buggy’s cannon fire and hit something before something else fell from the sky and smashed into the street right in front of her. She stopped just at the edge before she saw the same guy with a strawhat standing there dusting himself off, “Geez, I just mind my own business playing with that bird and someone has to go and shoot it down before I can finish my fun. *Sigh* maybe this is why Makino-chan jokes I can’t have nice things, because people will try to break them. Ah well, I have plenty of money to fix or replace anything I need.”</p><p>Luffy stated and looked around to see the same orange haired girl from before looking at him and it seemed like she had beri signs in her eyes and Luffy raised his hand, “Oh, hello again.”</p><p>He stated before moving too fast for her to follow and stood behind her with a sword caught in his hand while the Buggy Pirate behind Nami stood there in shock and fear as he was seeing flashes of his violent death when his eyes met Luffy and he passed out just before Luffy flicked the sword away and pinned another pirate to a house before he caught the last by his throat and held him off the ground.</p><p>Luffy turned towards the man and he started shaking, “You mind telling me why you are trying to hurt this cute girl?”</p><p>He asked and Nami found herself blushing at his comment while the pirate was struggling to get free, “She-she stole captain Buggy’s map of the Grand Line and he wants it back.”</p><p>The pirate stated frantically and Luffy raised an eyebrow, “Buggy the Clown with 15 million beri as his bounty? Why in the five seas is he here? This place serves no purpose for him to be here at all.”</p><p>He asked and the pirate shook in fear, “We don’t know, he just said he was using this town till he was ready to leave and we listened.”</p><p>He stated and Luffy nodded, “Fair enough.” He stated before punching the man square in the gut knocking him unconscious and Luffy dropped the man. Luffy sighed as he figured that Buggy was going to be annoying, but nothing he couldn’t handle.</p><p>He turned back to the girl, who looked at him with a bit of contempt and Luffy frowned and pinched the bridge of his nose as he realized she saw his Jolly Roger on his back, “Let me guess, pirates took someone you care about and now you hate them all?”</p><p>He asked and Nami widened her eyes that this man before her just read her like a book within a few seconds and Luffy looked at the sky for a second, “Want me to kill him for you?”</p><p>He asked and she looked at him in shock, “Unless he is a Yonkou level person, he isn’t even a threat for me so I could take him out pretty easily if you want.”</p><p>He stated, to Nami’s shock, before frowning slightly, “Regardless, do what you like. I’m gonna find some food.”</p><p>Luffy stated before he walked off towards one of the houses while Nami followed him wordlessly as she felt she could at least survive with the strange man while the pirate pinned to the house was trying to get free to tell his captain there was someone dangerous on the island.</p><p>A few minutes later, back with Luffy and Nami, he was currently eating after placing a small stack of money on the kitchen counter with a note apologizing for eating their food and the money should cover the loss. Nami was eyeing the money, but didn’t have it in her to take it from whoever was attempting, unknowingly, to feed the person in front of her. Luffy swallowed some food before turning towards the girl in front of him and took his hat off and smiled, “Excuse my manners, my name is Luffy.”</p><p>He stated and Nami just looked at him before he continued eating and she sighed for a second, “I’m Nami.”</p><p>She stated and Luffy paused before swallowing and smiling at her, which drew another blush, “A pleasure to meet you Nami-chan.”</p><p>He stated and shook her hand, while seeing her blush and deciding to ignore it since Makino had to approve before he even considered flirting. Hey, he isn’t whipped but when your girlfriend of a year says she’ll share you and can change her mind in heartbeat, then you keep her happy if you don’t want her to be upset, “Nice to meet you too Luffy.”</p><p>She stated as Luffy grinned before going back to eating until he twitched slightly and finished before heading outside, “Hey! Where are you going?”</p><p>She asked and Luffy looked back with a smirk, “My friends are pulling into the docks.”</p><p>He stated and Nami wondered how this man could know that but shrugged it off and moved over to him, “So, you’re just gonna leave?”</p><p>She asked and Luffy frowned, “No, I’m gonna tell my allies what is going on then I’m gonna beat the hell out of Buggy for getting these people involved and disrespecting them. There isn’t any reason to terrorize the populace if you just wanted to use the island as a base.”</p><p>He stated and Nami widened her eyes, <em>“He’s gonna take on a potentially dangerous individual just because he is making the locals unhappy?!? Who the Hell is this guy?”</em></p><p>She thought before she saw a girl with a bow and crossbow, a guy with three swords, and a guy dressed up elegantly walking towards them. Luffy smiled at seeing them before he caught Makino and kissed her when she jumped into his arms.</p><p>When they separated, Makino saw Nami and looked her over before smirking, “So, what’s going on Luffy-kun?”</p><p>She asked as she turned back to her boyfriend and he smirked slightly, “Buggy the Clown is here, and I want him gone.”</p><p>He stated and Sabo straightened his suit while Makino adjusted her crossbow and took her bow into her left hand while Zoro placed his hand on his blades. However, before they could do anything, a dog came up and sat by Luffy’s leg. Luffy knelt and petted the dog, “What’s your name?”</p><p>He asked and the dog barked and Luffy grinned, “Nice to meet you Chouchou, I’m Luffy.”</p><p>He stated and Zoro and Nami looked at him like he was crazy before a man came over in strange fur armor, a spear on his back, and glasses on his face, “Chouchou! There you are.”</p><p>He stated and the dog barked before moving over to him while Zoro and Nami gaped at the man for confirming Luffy was right about the name and the man noticed the group of five, “Who are you?”</p><p>He asked and Luffy just smiled, “Someone who is gonna get rid of Buggy for you.”</p><p>Luffy stated and before the man could get over his shock, Chouchou ran off barking and Luffy frowned before taking off after him. Luffy disappeared behind some buildings before they heard a loud crash and took off after him.</p><p>When they came around, they found Luffy holding a man with a strange haircut and a lion smashed into the ground and Luffy appeared pissed, <strong>“Do NOT EVER touch the pet shop again! That is Chouchou’s treasure and I won’t forgive you if you try and damage it again.”</strong></p><p>He stated in a tone that made everyone shutter in fear and they turned to see a shop with a hole in it and Chouchou appeared to be crying at the sight. The man, who informed them as they ran to catch up to Luffy was named Boodle and was mayor of Orange Town, then informed them that Chouchou’s owner owned and ran that shop before he died and Chouchou treasured it above everything else.</p><p>Luffy pulled the man close, “Run, tell Buggy that I’m coming for him.”</p><p>He stated and dropped the man who scrambled away as Luffy lifted the lion and hurled it at the bar where the pirates were. Zoro, Chouchou, Nami, and Boodle were shocked at the strength before Luffy walked over to the hole and frowned before patting Chouchou, “Don’t worry, I can fix this.”</p><p>Luffy stated as Chouchou looked at him hopefully and Luffy placed his right hand on the edge of the hole and breathed deeply before his right arm glowed Brown and, to the shock of all of those present, the wood of the building began moving and growing before the hole was sealed up good as new.</p><p>Luffy dropped his arm and took a few breaths and then grinned down at Chouchou, who knocked Luffy over and began licking him like crazy causing Luffy to laugh, “Alright, down boy, down.”</p><p>He stated and Chouchou obeyed and Luffy petted his head before standing, “Let’s go.”</p><p>Luffy ordered his crew and two nodded while Zoro just followed with a gob smacked expression and Nami followed as she wanted to see what was going to happen and Boodle was just wondering who the heck these newcomers were.</p><p>It only took a minute before they were at the cliff the bar sat on with the Buggy pirates out and waiting with their cannon ready. Upon stepping in the clearing in front of it, Luffy took a deep breath and yelled, “HEY BIG NOSE! COME FIGHT ME!”</p><p>He shouted and the pirates gaped at him while Makino giggled, Sabo chuckled, and Zoro, having gotten over his shock after deciding he had the world’s most interesting and weird captain and Luffy would explain later if asked, smirked. Buggy was seeing red before he fired his cannon at them and Luffy smirked before his right arm glowed green and he took a deep breath and then began blowing out a large gust of wind that launched the ball back at the pirates where it exploded.</p><p>When the dust cleared, all that was left standing, besides the bar, was Buggy and some dude on a unicycle. Luffy popped his neck, “Makino, Sabo, stay out of this. Zoro will take on the cyclist and I’ll pummel Buggy.”</p><p>He stated and the two nodded before leading Boodle and Nami to the back… or they did before Nami went to rob Buggy. The cyclist rode forward and drew a sword, “I am Cabaji, acrobat and first mate of the Buggy Pirates. So you are Roronoa Zoro? I expected someone more threatening.”</p><p>He stated as he rode at Zoro, who dodged and kicked the cycle out from under him while Luffy socked Buggy into the cliffside when he tried to sneak attack Zoro. Zoro crossed his arms and knelt low as he faced Cabaji, “You should never underestimate someone as that will always be a costly mistake. Oni” he stated before flashing forward as Cabaji ran at him to strike and Zoro appeared on the other side with his arms out wide, “Giri!”</p><p>He finished stating and began sheathing his blades as Cabaji fell over with three large cuts across his torso. Zoro walked over to Makino and Sabo as Luffy stood where he was as Buggy pulled himself out of the cliffside.</p><p>Buggy was growling as this no name before him was disrupting his entire plan and was destroying his crew like they were nothing. Then he saw the hat on his head and growled louder, “That damn strawhat, it reminds of that bastard Shan… UGH!”</p><p>He stated before Luffy appeared in front of him with his fist buried in his gut, “I don’t like people insulting my family and I do not like people cursing in front of women.”</p><p>Luffy stated in a cold tone before he swatted Buggy into the bar like he was a fly. Luffy then turned towards him as Buggy burst out of the rubble with blades coming out of his shoes, knives in his hands, and one in his mouth… oh and his body was flying at Luffy in pieces.</p><p>Luffy dodged through the storm of death while inwardly chuckling, “It’s funny. If it was a simple battle of Devil Fruits, you and I would be perfect rivals.” Luffy stated and Buggy paused a minute to look at him with a confused expression and Luffy chuckled, “It’s just, my Devil Fruit makes me immune to blunt attacks but weak to cutting attacks, while yours makes you immune to cutting attacks but weak to blunt attacks. It’s just kind of funny that we have polar opposite Devil Fruits.”</p><p>He stated before laughing out loud and Buggy had to admit that if the kid hadn’t pissed him off then he may have found that bit of coincidence and irony funny. However, he became distracted by the sight of Nami moving with a large bag that he had no doubt held his loot in it, “YOU WENCH!”</p><p>He screamed as he shot at Nami before he felt pressure on his head and realized Luffy was grasping his head in an iron grip and was slowly squeezing him. The pain reached the point that he couldn’t focus on his powers and his body rushed back together. He then tried to stab Luffy, only for him to catch the blades and snap them in half like they were nothing but twigs and drop the pieces on the floor.</p><p>Buggy began punching Luffy’s torso repeatedly only to feel like he was punching a wall of iron before the pain of Luffy squeezing his head caused him to black out. Luffy dropped him before kicking him aside and moved to Nami. He pointed down and she complied and put the bag down before Luffy rummaged through it and then looked at the bar and the few buildings Buggy destroyed before Luffy got there and took a chunk of treasure out and set it down next to Boodle and telling him to use it to fix up the town.</p><p>However, he paused as he turned and slammed his fist into a recovered Buggy’s face sending his head flying while his body broke apart. Luffy stretched his arm and took some rope from the camp wreckage by the bar and tied up Buggy’s arms, torso, and legs before Buggy reformed with his head on his feet and his hands sticking out of his head, “AHH!!!! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!?!”</p><p>He screamed and Luffy grinned ferally before stretching his arms back, “Made your life more interesting, bye!”</p><p>Luffy stated before his arms launched forward and smashed into Buggy sending him flying off into the distance. Luffy then turned to the recovering Buggy pirates and popped his knuckles audibly causing them to shift away from him in fear, “Leave before I give you a one-way trip too.”</p><p>He growled and the pirates screamed before picking up their few crewmates that were still unable to move well and ran for their ship before sailing off. Luffy turned back to his crew before he heard clapping and saw a woman to the side with a white cowboy hat, purple corset, short purple skirt, a long white fur coat, and knee length heeled white boots, “That was an impressive handling of Buggy the Clown.”</p><p>She stated and Luffy looked her over for a second before connecting with her eyes and saw the pain, fear, and sorrow in them while the woman was struggling to suppress a shudder that was fighting to come out as she gazed into Luffy’s eyes and saw raw and untamed power just wanting to be released, “Thanks, but someone as famous as you has no business being in the East Blue. Even if it is the weakest sea, someone with a 79 million bounty is bound to get attention.”</p><p>He stated and the woman, Boodle, Nami, and Luffy’s crew widened their eyes before Luffy sidestepped a hand that came out of the ground to grab him, “Relax, personally I think the government is lying about why you got that bounty, so you have nothing to fear from me and I wouldn’t mind helping smash a few faces in if you wanted some help.”</p><p>He stated and Robin opened her mouth slightly in shock as this man apparently knew who she was and who she was going to be fighting and didn’t care. Luffy smiled at her, which got a small blush to her face, before turning and heading for the docks, “If you want to join the crew, Robin, then feel free to just say the word since anyone on my crew is under my protection and I will end anyone who dares to threaten my crew whether they are an Admiral or some lowly weasel that wants a promotion.”</p><p>He stated and the now named Robin widened her eyes again, <em>“How can this man know so much about me and what I am doing?!?!”</em> She thought before her mind rebooted to why she was there and regained her expressionless face, “I don’t suppose you would be interested in joining the organization I am a part of?”</p><p>She asked and Luffy paused before turning to her with a smirk, “If I can be the boss, then sure. Otherwise, tell <em>sandy</em> that I’ll probably be crossing his path soon and he should be prepared for a beating of a lifetime.”</p><p>He stated giving her a knowing look and Robin’s expressionless face shattered like a pane of glass as Luffy apparently knew who the leader of the organization she worked for was and that was a deadly and top secret… well, secret. Luffy smiled at her, getting the bit of blush back, and kept walking before he thought of something and turned back towards her, “By the way, I have it on a reliable source that the Pirate King actually found the Rio Poneglyph where he learned the history behind D and the century that the Government fears.”</p><p>Luffy stated and Robin froze before running and grabbing hold of Luffy with her eyes wide, “Are you telling me the truth?!? I swear if you are lying then I will kill you now!”</p><p>She screamed as her eyes had tears on the edges and Sabo stopped Zoro from interfering and Luffy kept his face neutral, “It’s the truth, my dad met members of Roger’s crew and confirmed that Roger actually discovered a lot of the world’s mysteries that the government wanted buried. He never told them as that would have made them hounded for the remainder of their lives instead of leaving them be as time passed. I don’t know the specifics about the century or the Poneglyph, but I was told some things about those who possess D as the middle initial.”</p><p>He stated and Robin let him go as she shook realizing her hopes, dreams, and ambitions were not fantasy and could be achieved to spite those bastards in the World Government. Luffy straightened himself out before smiling at her, “Whether you join my crew or not, I’ll be having my own war with the government at some point or another, so you would probably just expedite the process.”</p><p>He stated while his crew, Boodle, and Robin looked at him in shock and surprise, “Anyway, we’ll be seeing you Robin-chan.”</p><p>He stated and she blushed slightly before waving his group and Nami to follow him. Meanwhile, Boodle just stared at the retreating pirates along with Robin, “That boy, is going to be someone important one day.”</p><p>Boodle commented and Robin said nothing before going back to her ride, a giant turtle named Banchi, and decided she would follow the enigma that was Luffy for a while to see what he was like and if she could really join his crew and put her faith in him.</p><p>
  <em>Two hours later</em>
</p><p>Boodle was busy telling everyone about how Luffy had freed the town before Chouchou got his attention with some barks and he saw some folded flags and a note there with Chouchou. Picking it up, he read the note out loud: <em>Dear Boodle, what you didn’t know about me is that I am a pirate and am aiming for the title of King of the Pirates. As such, I will be taking/claiming territory to show that I am competent and not just blowing smoke. With that in mind, I left flags with my Jolly Roger on them and if you fly them it will be a sign that your island, and town by extension, are under my protection and no pirate will touch you and if some try, those flags have something special sown in them that will allow me to come if needed. I already have part of Dawn Island as my territory only because I would probably burn Goa Kingdom to the ground just to spite the World Nobles. Anyway, back on track, you can choose to ignore these flags and they will find a way back to me or you can fly them and be put under my protection. The choice is yours, as it should have been from the start.</em></p><p>
  <em>Signed, Monkey D. Luffy: The future King of the Pirates</em>
</p><p>It read and Boodle widened his eyes before smiling and nodded before putting the flag on his home and Chouchou put one up on his shop before the rest of the villagers began hanging the flags as well. Boodle chuckled lightly as he pat Chouchou on the head, “Yes, that boy will become great in no time at all.”</p><p>He stated and Chouchou barked in agreement as they watched their fellow villagers celebrate their freedom and new protection.</p><p>
  <em>With Luffy and Company</em>
</p><p>Luffy was sitting on one of the two boats currently tethered together as Nami decided to travel with them for a bit and he was relaxing with Makino snuggled up close to him and Sabo relaxing by the rudder while Zoro and Nami looked at him with curious expressions. Luffy, feeling them staring at him, sighed, “Ask. Just do it calmly and coherently.”</p><p>He stated while also noting an ear appearing on the mast of his boat and figured Robin wanted in on the conversation. Zoro and Nami looked at each other before doing rock, paper, scissors to decide who was first and Zoro won and took a breath, “How did you make the house repair itself?”</p><p>He asked and Makino and Sabo perked up as they were curious as well and Luffy could feel Robin’s curiosity. Luffy sighed and straightened himself before pulling up his right sleeve revealing a grey ring, then emerald, navy blue, tan, brown, and sapphire colored rings going up from his wrist with the snout of some kind of creature being more detailed now as the creature gained more form with each ring, “These are marking given to me by my dad that show my ability to use affinities for things that exist. I started with the grey ring which showed my affinity to stone and each successive ring shows my connection to another affinity. The brown one represents wood and thus using my own energy and command over the affinity, I can control it thereby allowing me to make the wood repair itself by feeding it my energy.”</p><p>He stated and he felt shock from three of the listeners while Makino pouted, which made her cute in his opinion, “Luffy-kun, how come you didn’t tell me you unlocked more of your affinities?”</p><p>She stated and Luffy chuckled, “Because the last time I did, you demanded I show you what I can do and then I nearly lost control and almost launched you into the ocean five miles away from where we were standing. I only got it somewhat under control the day before we left.”</p><p>He stated and Makino blushed slightly before looking down as she remembered that incident when Luffy gained his earth element and he almost made a pillar launch up under her and send her flying. If Sabo hadn’t been coming by and saw Luffy’s panicked face, then she may very well have been launched that far as the basket of apples she was carrying were launched even further according to Sabo, who used his Speed Speed Fruit to see how far the basket and items flew.</p><p>She then remembered his arm, “So what was the color after the wood element? You didn’t mention having that one.”</p><p>She asked and Luffy chuckled, “I just unlocked it the day after we left Shells Town and haven’t been able to train in it. Though from the list dad gave me, it is the Thunder affinity.”</p><p>He stated and Makino gulped, “No practicing on the boat. Got it?”</p><p>She stated seriously and Luffy nodded with a serious expression, “Of course Makino-chan. I am not going to risk you guys just to get to test out my abilities.”</p><p>He stated while Makino realized she hurt his feelings slightly and kissed his cheek before snuggling back into him, which naturally made him smile. Meanwhile Zoro and Nami were getting over their shock and did another rock, paper, scissors to pick who would ask what as Luffy just brought more questions up. Nami won this time and, after deciding the money questions could come later, asked, “So what affinities do you have now?”</p><p>She asked and Luffy smirked, “In order from wrist up; Stone, wind, water, earth, wood, and now thunder. Each of these affect me in some way besides giving me control over them. However, I need a certain level of control to gain those benefits and I have yet to achieve that.”</p><p>He stated and more questions arose for them and Zoro went, “So how do you unlock the affinities?”</p><p>He asked and Luffy shrugged, “There are a multitude of ways; fighting is generally the fastest method even if I only fight small fry I can still begin unlocking them. There is also exposure to certain things that causes my body to unlock the affinity as a means of protection, they may unlock if another ability my dad gave me unlocks as they may be connected, and there are just many ways it can happen.”</p><p>He stated and Nami went, “Do you know how many there are?”</p><p>She asked and Luffy smirked as he knew this would get reactions, “My dad had the highest count ever recorded, 50.”</p><p>He stated and all five, counting Robin, widened their eyes in shock while Luffy just chuckled, “I sometimes wish my dad could have unlocked them all for me, but he was pushing certain rules he has to follow just giving me stone and a few other abilities.”</p><p>He stated and this merely drew more questions, “Do you know what you may gain when you master the affinities you have?”</p><p>Zoro asked and Luffy shook his head and Nami went next, “What other abilities do you have?”</p><p>She asked and Luffy smirked, “Well, I ate the Gum Gum Devil Fruit making me able to stretch pretty far and be resistant to bullets and blunt attacks. Other than that, you’ll just have to wait and see.”</p><p>He stated and the two stayed silent for some time as they were trying to process what Luffy had told them already and were both starting to have hope in them. Zoro due to the fact Luffy was possibly the strongest person he ever met so he had a Grade A sparring partner now and Nami due to Luffy seeming to be more and more capable of crushing the pirate she despised so strongly.</p><p>Unknown to them, Robin was also filling with hope as she was starting to understand, at least from her point of view, what Luffy meant by having a war with the government as his powers could make him incredibly strong. That made her start to consider his offer to join… that and the archeologist in her wanted to solve the mysteries he was hiding as he and his dad just became a very curious pair and she wanted to carve out that mystery the more she started learning about him.</p><p>
  <em>Later: Unknown/named island: Unofficially, the Island of Rare Animals</em>
</p><p>Luffy and them were exploring an island with many different animals, though the crew and Nami were confused as to why the animals seemed either intimidated or respectful towards Luffy while Makino and Sabo had an idea.</p><p>They weren’t there long before they met a man named Gaimon who apparently fell from a cliff and became trapped in a treasure chest. Apparently the man had been there for over 20 years guarding the island to get the treasure chests at the top of a mountain and took to either scaring off people or shooting them. Luckily Luffy informed him that he didn’t need the money nor would he harm the animals, which got them on his good side.</p><p>Luffy then offered to go to the top of the mountain to get the chests for him and Gaimon accepted. Luffy went up and found the chests empty. Not wanting to break Gaimon’s heart, he pulled out a scroll and put some items into the chests and put the scroll up before taking the chests down.</p><p>When Gaimon opened them, he was surprised to find a blanket and pillows shoved into one, seeds in another; an axe, pick, and knife in another, and some cotton in the last. He sighed while talking about wasting his time before Luffy pointed out that he made a family out of the animals and that they were his real treasure.</p><p>Gaimon had widened his eyes before smiling slightly and stating Luffy was right before bidding them farewell as they sailed away, but not before thanking Luffy for the items in the chest which caused Luffy to chuckle slightly and wave goodbye.</p><p>Once out to sea again, Makino kissed Luffy’s cheek and thanked him for trying to help Gaimon not feel bad while Sabo nodded, Zoro felt his respect for his captain go up slightly, and Nami was wondering what kind of pirate Luffy was as he didn’t act like a pirate at all.</p><p>Luffy smiled at his girlfriend before turning to Nami, “So where are headed to now with our current course?”</p><p>He asked his unofficial navigator and Nami frowned as she looked over her charts, “Hmm, it appears we are heading towards the Gecko Islands.”</p><p>She stated and Luffy twitched slightly before smirking, “I think we are gonna have another bout of fun there.”</p><p>He stated and Nami and Zoro were confused while Makino and Sabo smirked since they knew what Luffy’s definition of fun meant and it usually entailed him thrashing someone that deserved it.</p><p>Unknown to them, but Luffy, Robin had seen the interaction and couldn’t help the smile that came to her face as she saw what Luffy did. However, she was also intrigued by the scroll item he had used as she had never seen anything like it before. She just laughed lightly at the growing list of mysteries surrounding Luffy as she continued following them, while wondering what Luffy meant by fun as well.</p><p>
  <strong>Done! Luffy has taken down two of his first pain in the necks and met two new girls, both of which are extremely curious about him. He also has a new crew member and two waiting to be admitted crew members.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, the next chapter which will cover Kuro, Krieg, and start of Arlong as well. Which will be fun, especially Luffy’s little clash with Mihawk after Zoro gets injured.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Well, that should be it, later everyone.</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A Liar, a Cook, and a Demon</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luffy and company have arrived at the Gecko islands, but it's not as peaceful as it appears</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Hello all and welcome back to Reaper of the Seas. Time for the Gecko Islands and a certain sea restaurant.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Keep in mind, Luffy and an amount of his crew, I haven’t decided if all of Luffy’s crew will travel with him, will be going to other worlds. Zoro, naturally, will definitely go as he gets new opponents to face, while the others, besides those paired with Luffy, I am undecided on.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Note: Luffy considers Damon his dad, while Dragon is his father. Luffy acknowledges that Dragon is his father, but considers Damon more of a parent than Dragon. This is why he says his dad in conversation and not his father.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Anyway, let’s move on to what you all actually want to see.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Disclaimer: If I owned One Piece, then Luffy would have picked up a few more people to help out.</strong>
</p><p>“Speech”</p><p>
  <em>“Thoughts”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘Conversation thoughts’</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>“Non-humanoid/pissed off Luffy voice”</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“Above’s thoughts”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“Above’s conversation thoughts”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <em>{Flashback}</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>CHAPTER 3: A Liar, Cook, and Demon</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>Of the coast of Gecko Islands: Specifically, the one holding Syrup Village</em>
</p><p>Luffy sat with Makino napping against his chest and he was thinking. His newest member, and unofficial member, needed to get stronger if they were gonna survive the Grand Line. Deciding that fact was truth he turned to Zoro, “Hey Zoro.” He spoke and said Swordsman turned towards him while the others paid attention too, “When we reach the next island, we’re gonna need to train you a bit. Specifically, in just using one sword.”</p><p>He stated and Zoro seemed interested then confused, “But I told you, I use three swords. Why would I train with just one?”</p><p>He asked and the other were interested as well, “Well to be honest, you are only good with three swords, so what are you gonna do if your two lesser swords shatter and we have no way to get you new ones or what if someone manages to get your other two swords away from you and you’re forced to use only one sword?”</p><p>He explained then asked and Zoro was about to retort before it died in his mouth as he saw Luffy’s point. He was only good with three; if he lost one or two of his swords then he wouldn’t be even close to full strength and could lose to an unworthy opponent. Sighing he looked to Luffy and nodded and received one in return before Luffy faced Nami, “Nami you’ll train with Sabo to make you faster and to react quicker.”</p><p>He stated and Nami gawked at him and was about to retort before Luffy raised his hand, “I know, you aren’t a fighter and not even our official navigator, but there may come a time where you can’t lie or sneak your way out and will have to fight. I am not saying we’ll turn you into a fighter, but at the very least we can make you really hard to hit.”</p><p>He stated and Nami closed her mouth and sighed since she knew if Luffy hadn’t been there then she probably would have been skewered by Buggy when she was stealing his treasure. Deciding that at least she could try, she nodded and Luffy grinned, which for some reason caused her to blush. Makino then looked at Luffy, “What about me Luffy?”</p><p>She asked and Luffy smiled down at her, “You can’t really do anything for the moment since I am still working on that project for you and your natural Archery skills are the best they can be for the moment until I get the time to help with the next step of the lessons dad left for you, me, and Sabo.”</p><p>He stated and she nodded and went back to lying on his chest while Sabo simply steered the ship heading for the Gecko Islands and the fun that Luffy said was there.</p><p>
  <em>An hour later</em>
</p><p>Their boat pulled up to the shore and they stood on the ground for barely a minute before a bunch of flags came up from the woods and a man’s voice came out, “Hold it Pirates! This island is under the protection of the great Captain Usopp and the Usopp pirates. We total over 800 strong men and are prepared to destroy you and your crew if you don’t leave now.”</p><p>The now identified Captain Usopp called out and Luffy raised an eyebrow, “Hey Usopp, is your father named Yasopp?”</p><p>Luffy called out and they heard a gasp from the forest, “How do you know my dad?”</p><p>The voice called out and Luffy grinned, “I’m friends with him and his captain, he’s an awesome sharpshooter.”</p><p>Luffy stated and a skinny young man with long curly black hair that reached his shoulders, a long nose, and was dressed in overalls, boots, and a bandanna on his head came out, “If that’s true then what was he claimed to be able to do?”</p><p>Usopp asked and Luffy grinned, “Shoot an antenna off an ant at 100 feet and not harm the rest of it.”</p><p>He stated and the others, counting an eavesdropping Robin, gawked and Usopp laughed and stuck his hand out to Luffy, “Guess you do know my dad, sorry for lying and trying to scare you away like that.”</p><p>He stated and Luffy chuckled and shook his hand, “It’s no problem, I’d offer to let you call him if I had a Den Den Mushi. How’s your mom?”</p><p>Luffy asked and Usopp became slightly depressed, “She died a few years ago.”</p><p>He stated and Luffy frowned, “I’m sorry to hear that, I doubt Yasopp knows.”</p><p>He stated and Usopp nodded, “Yeah, but anyway, are y’all hungry?”</p><p>Usopp asked and the strawhats nodded and followed him into town before entering a tavern and they all began to eat and chat with Luffy telling Usopp about his father and Usopp telling them his tall tales before he stated he had to go and do something important and left.</p><p>The strawhats continued to eat before three little kids came in pointing wooden swords at Luffy, “What did you do with our captain?!?”</p><p>The kids asked in unison and Luffy swallowed food before glancing at them, “We talked with him and then he left saying he had something important to do.”</p><p>The kids relaxed slightly before one boy with a purple hair and a red beanie hat exclaimed, “Oh! He probably went to see Kaya.”</p><p>The other two nodded and Luffy shrugged and followed them as they went off while the other strawhats followed. It only took a few minutes to reach an estate that Sabo would have started robbing if Luffy hadn’t shaken his head at him. The group went over the fence to find Usopp arguing with a butler with glasses that Luffy wanted to clobber for some reason.</p><p>However, when the butler insulted Yasopp, the others had no time to react before Luffy had the man pinned to a tree with the man’s throat in Luffy’s hand. All those present were shocked at the speed while Luffy glared at the man before him, “Do <em>not</em> insult Yasopp again. He is a great man and pirate.”</p><p>He stated and felt Usopp’s thanks coming off of him while Luffy smirked, “After all why would one of the Yonkou personally ask him to join the crew if he was as pathetic as you claim.”</p><p>Luffy stated and everyone gawked at him while the man gritted his teeth even as Luffy pulled him off the ground while dragging him against the tree, “So, if a man that is asked by one of the most feared and respected men in the world is a nobody as you claim, then what does that make a no name loser like yourself?”</p><p>Luffy asked and the man’s eyes filled with rage as he struggled to get free before his world went black as Luffy slammed his fist into his gut and tossed him away. Luffy looked at the young woman at the window and removed his hat before lowering his head slightly, “I apologize for the actions I committed, miss, but no one insults my friends or their crew.”</p><p>He stated and the woman nodded and Luffy glared at the unconscious man, “Miss, I don’t know what that man is to you or what he may have done to get in your good graces, but that man is dangerous and you should be weary of him.”</p><p>He stated and everyone looked shocked and confused and a man with a weird ram style haircut came up, “Sir, what do you mean?”</p><p>He asked and Luffy frowned slightly as he felt the guy on the ground was familiar but he couldn’t place it, “He smells of blood, and a lot of it.” He stated and the others gained a surprised look, “He has such a strong smell that you could only get it if you killed several people. You can ignore my warning if you want, but this man is not someone you should be friendly towards.”</p><p>Luffy stated as he started walking away with Sabo and Makino right behind him, while Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and the three kids quickly followed him. While Kaya’s guards took the butler inside to rest and the ram guy looked at Kaya, “Miss, I don’t know who that boy was but I think we should listen to him for some reason. I don’t know what is going on, but the boy showed genuine concern for you should Klahadore stay around. I know what he means to you, but that boy, something in his eyes makes me believe him.”</p><p>The man stated and Kaya had a shocked and saddened expression, “I will… consider what he said Merry, but I don’t think Klahadore is a threat to me.”</p><p>She stated and the now identified Merry nodded and went about his work.</p><p>
  <em>Couple of hours later</em>
</p><p>Luffy and Usopp were sitting on a cliff looking at the ocean, after the former had trained with Zoro to use one sword in combat while Sabo was having Nami dodge his finger jabs since the speed Sabo used could make even a finger feel like a fist, just chatting quietly before they noticed the butler Luffy beat up there with some weirdo with a blue rim hat and cloak and heart glasses. The two of them moved from the edge of the cliff as the two started talking, “So the crew will be here in the morning?”</p><p>The butler, Klahadore, asked and the weirdo nodded, “Yes captain, they’ll be on time and we’ll ransack that village just like you ordered.”</p><p>He stated and Klahadore nodded, “Good, once you all have ransacked the village and Kaya’s estate, you will hypnotize her to sign everything including herself over to me. I’ve been planning this for 10 years and I will not allow you or them to screw it up now. However, there is a boy here that I want to kill myself. He has a strawhat and a black cloak with a jolly roger on the back. If any of you manages to kill him, then I will kill all of you. Is that understood Jango?”</p><p>He stated and Jango nodded fearfully, “Aye captain Kuro.” He stated before noticing the glare and Jango gulped, “I mean Mr. Klahadore.”</p><p>He stated before they left and Usopp was shocked and ran towards Kaya’s estate while Luffy frowned and followed him while nodding to Sabo who was nearby. Sabo nodded and vanished as he went to get the crew together, they had a fight to win.</p><p>Usopp ran to Kaya and got her attention, “Kaya, we have got to get you out of here. Klahadore is really a pirate and he’s planning to attack with his crew and make you his servant.”</p><p>Usopp stated and Kaya looked horrified and thought Usopp was lying before Luffy appeared too, “Usopp, we’re gonna have to hurry since the pirates will be here in a few hours and I don’t think Klahadore or Kuro or whatever he calls himself is gonna be pleasant to be around.” He stated before turning to a shocked Kaya, “Miss, please. The man you think you know is a liar and a traitor. Now, my crew can take his down, but we can’t let him get to you or things can get very complicated.”</p><p>He stated and Kaya sunk to her knees and cried as the person she was close to for a decade was actually just using her. She then felt arms around her and looked to see Usopp there holding her and she blushed, “Don’t worry Kaya, my friends and I will bring him down. I won’t let anyone harm you.”</p><p>Usopp stated and Kaya blushed harder before doing something that surprised herself and Usopp, she kissed him right on the lips. Usopp seemed shocked for a moment before he held her tighter and deepened the kiss before they broke it, “Usopp, I…”</p><p>She didn’t finish as Usopp took her into another kiss and she wrapped her arms around his neck and they continued their little make out session for another few moments before Luffy interrupted them, “Uh, no offense, but we should go.”</p><p>He stated and the two blushed before nodding while Kaya called Merry in and the four took off with them putting Merry and Kaya at the tavern for the night after Luffy told her that Kuro wasn’t going to stop even if she turned her money and everything over to him since the villagers would know something was wrong and Kuro couldn’t afford that.</p><p>With that said, Luffy, Usopp, and the crew stood on the path to the village discussing where the pirates would be coming from before the three kids from before came up after hearing them, “We want to help protect the town too!”</p><p>They said in unison and Zoro was about to make a comment before Luffy whispered in Usopp’s ear and he nodded, “Usopp pirates, attention!”</p><p>He stated and the three saluted and stood there and Usopp addressed them, “Listen, that stupid butler wants to hurt Kaya, so I want you three to be her bodyguards till this is over. You make sure no one that is not from the village, her butler Merry, or these guys with me get near her without paying the price. Understood?”</p><p>He ordered and the three seemed excited to be part of the important assignment and they saluted, “Aye, aye Captain.”</p><p>They shouted before taking off towards the Tavern while the others chuckled slightly, “So where can you dock a ship here Usopp?”</p><p>Usopp frowned in thought, “The South and where you guys landed. Those are the only two areas a ship of any size could dock and remain unnoticed.”</p><p>Usopp stated and Luffy frowned before taking a meditative position. Zoro, Usopp, and Nami were about to question it before Sabo and Makino shook their heads at them. They frowned in confusion before Luffy’s body glowed slightly before the glow went out lightning fast in a ring from Luffy. The ring passed through them and they felt nothing and watched as it went through the trees, buildings, and anything else in the area.</p><p>About two seconds later, Luffy stood, “North, we head for the North landing.”</p><p>He stated before heading that direction and Sabo and Makino followed him quickly while the others were confused and surprised at what Luffy did but followed nonetheless, “Hey Luffy, what did you do?”</p><p>Zoro asked and Luffy could tell the others curious, counting Robin, and he smirked, “I sent my presence out in a wave and felt everything within miles and there is a ship coming towards the North landing with a decent sized number of individuals. So, we’re going to the North landing.”</p><p>He stated like he was talking about the weather as he kept walking, ignoring the gobsmacked looks on his companions’ faces while he walked through the woods to reach the cliff over the landing.</p><p>Luffy looked over it and sat against the tree, “Zoro, Usopp, Nami, you three can deal with them and we’ll interfere if things get too hard for y’all.”</p><p>Luffy stated as Makino went over and sat next to him before cuddling close to him and Sabo just stood leaning against a tree waiting for his orders. Zoro shrugged since he had no reason to doubt his captain since he believed Luffy wouldn’t let them get hurt seriously, while Nami and Usopp were panicking slightly.</p><p>Usopp then went about getting oil, caltrops, and an assortment of his… stars before he dumped the caltrops at the bottom of the slope, at Luffy’s recommendation, then poured the oil on the actual slope itself before he took a position on the cliff to be able to shoot anyone that came close to the top.</p><p>Zoro just stood at the top of the slope with his bandana on and his hand on Wado, while Nami stood shaking slightly with her staff at the ready. They only had to wait about 10 minutes before a ship ran aground with a large black cat figure head before Jango jumped down and the rest of his crew followed, “Alright you bilge rats, up that hill. Ransack the village and do as you please.”</p><p>He stated and the men cheered before charging up the hill… only for them to start howling in pain as they stepped on the caltrops and those that got passed them quickly slid back down the slope… right back into the caltrops.</p><p>Jango looked at the top of the slope to see Zoro and Nami standing there looking on with ‘are you serious’ expressions while wondering how they didn’t notice the obvious traps. Jango looked at his watch and began to panic, they were already 30 seconds behind schedule and Kuro was gonna be pissed, “Men, hurry up and get to the top and to that village or Kuro will have our heads.”</p><p>He yelled and his men went pale before redoubling their efforts to get up the hill and actually making it passed the now spread out oil and caltrops before a few flew backwards as ball bearings smashed into their faces while a few got hit with something that lit them on fire.</p><p>Luffy paid attention to Usopp and saw that he was showing he was his father’s son, though if he decided to become a pirate he would need more than that simple slingshot and he looked at Makino. Said girl was watching closely as well and felt her boyfriend looking at her and she gave a light nod.</p><p>Luffy smiled and kissed her head which made her smile and snuggle closer not caring about the screams and shouts going off around the area. The reason for these things was those that Usopp couldn’t hit fast enough were getting cut down by Zoro and his Wado Ichimonji as he was using them as practice for his Ittōryū. While Nami was smashing anyone with her righteous feminine fury as several of them had leered at her while promising ‘a good time’ to her and others going more vulgar when she refused and Makino had to calm Luffy as he hated rape, and anyone who cursed in front of a woman, and those men were suggesting that.</p><p>Within minutes, the whatever-pirates were back at the bottom of the slope with several with deep cuts, others with broken bones, concussions, light burns, and some clutching between their legs from some of Nami’s vicious hits.</p><p>Jango was sweating like crazy and he only had two people left to fight, “Meowban Brothers! Come out here now!”</p><p>He called and two people jumped off the ship, one fat and one skinny, and both were dressed as cats and had small knives at the tip of their fingers, “What do you need captain?”</p><p>The skinny one asked and Jango pointed at the top of the hill, “Go defeat those guys before Captain Kuro gets here.”</p><p>He ordered and they faked being afraid but Zoro’s training with Luffy let him see that and he countered the attack the skinny one launched while not even caring when his other two swords were snatched before he wounded the skinny one as he believed Zoro was helpless without his other two swords and Zoro had capitalized on that since the guy was nowhere near as fast or as strong as Luffy and he had begun hearing Wado more as he continued practicing with Luffy.</p><p>Zoro grabbed his swords before kicking the skinny one away and put his swords back on his waist while the bigger one growled at him as the skinny one stood. However, both they and Jango paled as they looked past Zoro at the disapproving face of Captain Kuro, “Jango, why are you all late?”</p><p>He asked in an annoyed tone and Jango was stammering trying to get an answer that wouldn’t result in his death, “I did not spend 10 years planning this for you idiots to mess it all up.”</p><p>He stated and the Meowban brothers bristled in anger, “Who are you calling idiots?!? 10 years of us raiding ships and dodging or fighting the Marines made us stronger, while you have been getting soft these past 10 years.”</p><p>The thin one stated before they both ran at him, “Both of you stand down!”</p><p>Jango called before they attempted to shred Kuro, only for him to vanish and them to feel his sword claws at their throats, “You know what? You’re right; these past 10 years have made me soft, which is why I am going to give you 10 minutes to kill these children and then attack the town.”</p><p>He stated and the two brothers gulped and nodded slightly before Kuro removed his claws, “Just 10 minutes, any longer and I will kill you all.”</p><p>He stated and the brothers nodded while everyone was partially listening to Jango mention that Kuro pushed his glasses up with his palm to keep himself from cutting his own face and since he continued to do so meant he hadn’t forgotten how to fight and kill.</p><p>The brothers got ready and charged at Zoro who decided to end things and lashed at them. Zoro nearly bisected the skinny one before he launched a new attack at the large one that looked like he gained 9 more swords and cut the large one in a flurry of strikes while muttering ‘Lion’s Barrage’. Zoro sheathed his Wado and started walking away before he heard the big one groan and saw him by Jango, “Captain, hypnotize me. Do it to all of us and we can get them out of the way quickly.”</p><p>He begged and Jango nodded, “Now on 1, 2, Jango, you’ll be free of your injuries and feel tough enough to take on an army with no problems at all. Ready? 1, 2, Jango.”</p><p>He stated and the crew slumped over before they all rose and yelled at the sky before charging at Zoro who groaned and drew his three blades, “Sentōryū: Tiger Hunt.”</p><p>He called as he blasted forward and cut down the large brother and several of the lesser crew before the others seemed to be struck down in rapid succession while all anyone could see was a flash of blonde hair before more went down.</p><p>A moment later, Sabo appeared next to Zoro with his sais twirling and flicking blood off them and Jango couldn’t react to them as he felt an arrow pierce his right hand and everyone saw Makino there past Kuro with her bow in hand over 300 feet from Jango.</p><p>Kuro frowned as the strawhats were proving to be a more irritating group than he thought and the two on the slope began walking back up while he adjusted his glasses. Before he could comment he was sent flying down the slope face first past the two strawhats walking up the slope.</p><p>Sabo and Zoro simply walked past Luffy who stood where Kuro was with his foot outstretched. Sabo had stopped Nami from sneaking to the Kuro pirates’ ship and she realized he already moved the loot to their vessel while he was striking down the last few of the pirates.</p><p>Kuro lifted and dusted himself off before turning and glaring at Luffy who simply walked a bit down the slope before gazing at him with a bored expression, “You are beginning to get on my nerves strawhat, my plans were coming to fruition before you came along and started causing problems.”</p><p>He stated with a massive frown and Luffy smirked, “Please, Kuro of the thousand plans was a fool in his hay day and his so called genius plans only succeeded because he never took on a Marine above Captain and never took on a captain that wasn’t an insult to the pirate name.”</p><p>Luffy stated before he tilted his head to the left to dodge the infuriated strike from an obviously perturbed Captain Kuro. Luffy continued to dance around Kuro’s strikes as if they weren’t even being done and his clothes weren’t even getting caught, “This is the <em>famous</em> captain Kuro of the thousand plans? Swinging his claws around like an enraged animal and hoping to strike just because he thinks his age gives an advantage? I see the hype was more than the person could deliver.”</p><p>Luffy stated as the still conscious Kuro pirates were watching shocked as this no name was keeping up with their former captain. Kuro growled before hunching over slightly, “Out of the bag.”</p><p>He stated and the Kuro pirates paled and started to scream for mercy as Kuro vanished in a burst of speed. Luffy yawned before he punched to the right and smashed into Kuro’s face sending him into the cliff wall and cracking his glasses in the process.</p><p>Kuro got up with a surprised expression, “How-how could you hit me? There shouldn’t be any way for you to follow me at that speed.”</p><p>He asked and then shouted at the end and Luffy raised an eyebrow, “You think that is fast?” He asked before vanishing and Kuro looked around before he felt a weight on his shoulder showing Luffy there leaning on him, “That speed of yours doesn’t even approach Sabo at quarter speed and I’m faster than he is. These boots of mine are a means of stealth training since if I can move without them making noise, then I obviously have to be moving very fast.”</p><p>Luffy stated before slamming his fist into Kuro’s face sending him flying while one of Luffy’s hands held him before reeling him back in for another fist full of pain to his face as Luffy smashed his nose, glasses, and face in. Luffy held him before glaring at the pirates and flooding the area with his Killing Intent, “Leave, and never come back here or you <em>will </em>pay.”</p><p>He stated and the pirates panicked before grabbing their fallen members and got on the boat before Luffy threw Kuro on the deck after snapping his claws to pieces, “And take that trash with you!”</p><p>He yelled and the crew nodded before shoving off and sailing as fast as they could. Luffy reined in his intent and walked back up the slope and popped his neck before heading back to town ignoring the gobsmacked expressions of Usopp and Nami while Zoro simply smirked as his captain was proving why he was captain, and he had a great sparring partner. While Luffy wasn’t a swordsman exactly, he did use a sword with an impressive amount of skill and Zoro would be lying if he said that he thought he was better than Luffy.</p><p>The group returned to the Tavern and told the five waiting people that the problem was solved and that they could breathe easier. Luffy had then surprised them by offering Kaya and Usopp a place on the crew since Usopp obviously wanted to go to sea and still be with Kaya and Kaya wanted to be with Usopp and could learn many different things while out at sea. They had both blushed and were contemplating the offer before Merry spoke up, “Young miss, I believe you should take the lad’s offer. You do wish to become a doctor and the world experience would do you wonders especially if you get to meet and potentially learn from different regional doctors while on the voyage.”</p><p>He stated and Kaya teared up slightly, “But, what about you and the others?”</p><p>She asked and Merry smiled gently at her, “Don’t worry Miss Kaya, I will keep everyone in line and ensure everything is still here when you return.”</p><p>Kaya smiled and hugged Merry while crying a little while Usopp frowned as the three kids looked upset, “Captain, are you gonna go?”</p><p>They asked and Usopp sighed and nodded and they started to tear up before someone tapped their shoulder and they looked to see Luffy smiling at them and handing them three bandanas with his Jolly Roger on it, “Would you like to join the crew?”</p><p>He asked and they cheered at being part of the crew and Luffy chuckled, “Alright, but I have an important assignment for you, but it means you can’t sail with us.” He stated and got their attention, “I want you three to be this Island’s guardians and make sure no one dares to harm this village as I will be making this part of my territory so that means that this place is part of my home and under my protection, which means it’s under my crew’s protection. So I want you three to be this town’s guards and help Merry if he needs it, understood?”</p><p>He instructed and asked and three saluted, “Aye, Aye, captain Luffy.”</p><p>They exclaimed and Luffy grinned at them, “Good, now I expect you three to train hard since I can’t have weak people on the crew since I’m gonna be King of the Pirates. So I want you to train hard since you never know when I could come by to check your progress.”</p><p>He stated and the three saluted again, “Yes sir! We’ll be strong!”</p><p>They exclaimed and Luffy chuckled while patting their heads, “I know you will.”</p><p>He stated and men in the room smirked and smiled at the scene while the women present smiled, <em>“He’ll make a great father.”</em></p><p>The girls and Merry thought, with Makino and Nami blushing at the thought. Luffy retook his seat while thinking, “We’re gonna need an actual ship soon if we keep recruiting people at this rate.”</p><p>He stated and Merry then widened his eyes and smiled, “Perhaps I can help.”</p><p>He stated and got everyone’s attention as he smiled.</p><p>
  <em>Next day: North shore</em>
</p><p>“It’s a Caravel!” Nami exclaimed as Merry introduced them to the Merry Go/Going Merry (someone tell me which one to use) and they all seemed excited while Luffy examined it closely.</p><p>Luffy could feel something from the ship and guessed that Merry had put so much of his time, heart, and effort into it that it gained a piece of him, “Merry.”</p><p>Luffy stated getting everyone’s attention, “I don’t mean to be rude, but would you mind if I modified the ship as we went? While it is a beautiful ship, many of the stories of the Grand Line are <em>not</em> exaggerations and I can’t risk my crew without taking precautions to ensure it survives for as long as possible and will keep them safe.”</p><p>He stated and Merry widened his eyes before nodding, “Do what you think is best to keep miss Kaya and your companions safe. It will not insult me if you add or change something on the ship as it wasn’t originally planned to be a pirate ship or Marine vessel, so there are possibly a few things that are needed.”</p><p>He stated with a smile and Luffy smiled and shook his hand, “Thank you Merry, and don’t worry about Kaya, she has Usopp to protect her and he has all of us to watch his back.”</p><p>He stated and Merry smiled and nodded, “Well, let’s get going crew.”</p><p>Luffy called before jumping up on the ship with Makino in his arms, while Zoro leapt up, and Sabo took his less athletic crew members up onto the ship. Kaya called goodbye to Merry and the three strawhat recruits waving goodbye with tears in their eyes.</p><p>It only took a few hours before Luffy approached Usopp about hitting a mountain with the cannon, Luffy could hit it easy but he wanted to see how good Usopp was so he could gauge when he could give him what he and Makino had planned.</p><p>Naturally, Usopp hit the mountain and was shocked himself while happy that he was such a good shot and they continued on their way before Luffy sensed two people coming towards them and saw a swordsman with sunglasses and a tattoo on his face heaving in anger, “Hey Zoro, there’s a swordsman on the ship, do you know him?”</p><p>He called out and the man froze before Zoro walked out, “Johnny?”</p><p>He asked and the now named Johnny cried out, “Aniki!”</p><p>Johnny then went on to explain that his partner Yosaku was sick and brought him on board before Luffy sighed, “Usopp, go get some of the limes from the kitchen and squeeze the juice out for him to drink. The idiot is just on the verge of getting scurvy.”</p><p>He stated and Usopp ran and did as ordered before giving it to Yosaku to drink before the man sprung to life… or would have if Sabo hadn’t held him down, “Stay down, if you move too much then you’ll pass out again since too much energy and movement isn’t good for a recovering person.”</p><p>Luffy stated and the strawhats, minus Makino and Sabo, and the two swordsmen looked at him in surprise, “How do you know that Luffy?”</p><p>Kaya asked since Luffy had explained it like a doctor would and wondered if the man had any knowledge of such things. Luffy for his part just smiled, “I know enough about medicine to deal with things till we get an actual doctor, as well as how to fix things, build things, set the ship, cook, fire the cannons, steer, and navigate to a point.”</p><p>He stated and Nami was confused, “Wait, if you can do all that, why are you looking for such specialized people?”</p><p>She asked and Luffy chuckled, “A captain’s job is to make the hard decisions and ensure his crew stays safe. However, my dad pointed out that the captain is just as much a leader as a mayor, king, or emperor is and is essentially the father/mother of the crew as the crew is his/her family and they are to keep them safe. To be a proper leader, I needed to know how to either help or fill the vacant roles of the crew for as long as possible. That way if say the doctor was injured in an attack, I can use what knowledge I have, that no one else on the crew may have, to keep the doctor alive and recuperate so they can keep the rest of the crew alive. So my dad taught me medicine, woodworking, navigating, marksmanship, cooking, prepping and rigging a ship, shooting, and anything else that I could possibly need to know to survive on the trip and make my crew survive.”</p><p>He stated and the crew was impressed as most captains didn’t take their job that seriously, “Do you think you can teach me what you know about medicine?”</p><p>Kaya asked and Luffy smiled and nodded, “I was planning to anyway Kaya, you may not be trained enough to be the doctor of the ship at the moment, but you can certainly be very helpful until we find a full-fledged one.”</p><p>He stated and Kaya smiled brightly before Luffy snapped his fingers, “That’s right; we’ll need to find you a proper weapon so you can know how to defend yourself.” He stated and she widened her eyes while he waved his hand, “Not at the moment, first I need to see how you simply move and everything as that can help narrow down what you could and can’t use a considerable amount, but you need to understand Kaya. You’re on a pirate ship, which means that Marines and other pirates are gonna see you as a member of the crew and will attack you. Usopp and the rest of us can’t be around 24/7 as we make different ports so you should at least know how to defend yourself and anyone that may be injured that is near you.”</p><p>He informed and Kaya nodded, “Ok Luffy, just tell me when you want me to start trying weapons out and I will try my hand at them.”</p><p>She stated and Luffy nodded, “Good, now Nami, what is to the Northeast of here?”</p><p>He asked and Nami frowned before looking over her charts but Johnny beat her to it, “Oh! The Sea restaurant the Baratie is to the Northeast of here. It’s supposed to be to the run by pirate, Marine, and derelict chefs that can’t work anywhere else but they are devils to anyone who tries something in their restaurant.”</p><p>He stated and Luffy grinned, “Sweet. Good food, potential cook recruits, and I get the feeling we are gonna have some fun.”</p><p>He stated and Zoro smirked as he caught on to what ‘fun’ was to Luffy and was looking forward to it while Nami gulped slightly, “Oh! Aniki, that Hawkeyes you were looking for was said to be seen near there.”</p><p>Johnny stated and Zoro stood straighter before looking at Luffy for permission as he recalled a talk they had the night they beat the Kuro pirates.</p><p>
  <em>Flashback: Last Night</em>
</p><p>Zoro was on the ground panting as he had trained against Luffy for 5 hours straight with one, two, or three swords at one time and Luffy still stood there without even being wounded or even winded, “Zoro, you let your emotions get in the way of your attacks. Instead of controlling them and then funneling them into your attacks, you let them control you and started swinging wildly without any thought to how many openings you gave me.”</p><p>Luffy stated as he had tested Zoro’s patience by acting like Zoro was wasting his time and should just give up the sword and try something else and now Zoro had several bruises on his torso and arms from the times Luffy struck him with his fists or the hilt of the blade. Zoro gripped his swords tightly before sighing, “I’m sorry Luffy, I just don’t want to hear that.”</p><p>He stated and Luffy frowned before poking his head, “And how do you think an enemy that does his research or Hawkeye is gonna react? I told you, the East Blue is ranked as the weakest sea of them all, so no swordsman from another sea, let alone a Shichibukai, is gonna respect you for being the strongest of this sea. They’ll capitalize on your pride and anger and defeat you easily. You think Hawkeye is gonna let some no name beat him without at least testing the waters to see how tough he is?”</p><p>He stated and Zoro widened his eyes before sighing and nodding, “Then what do I do, captain?”</p><p>He asked, as this wasn’t his friend talking, this was the man he was serving under, and Luffy grinned, “You train with me till I say you can face him if we encounter him if for no other reason than to give you a glimpse into the gap you are facing. So rub some dirt on your wounds, get off your ass, and do something about it.”</p><p>He stated and Zoro blinked before he smirked and nodded just before he spun and forced Luffy to jump back, “Then let’s get to it.”</p><p>He stated and Luffy smirked, “Alright Zoro, I want to see your desire now.” He stated and both charged at each other.</p><p>
  <em>Flashback end</em>
</p><p>Luffy frowned slightly before nodding, “I won’t interfere in any fight you have Zoro, but I won’t let him get away with killing you if it does come to that.”</p><p>He stated and Zoro nodded, “Understood captain.”</p><p>He replied before going to the kitchen to find some grog and then maybe take a nap while Usopp took stock of his supplies, Johnny and Yosaku started sparring after Luffy suggested it, Kaya was talking with Makino, Sabo was in the crow’s nest looking out at times, and Nami was frowning at a bounty poster that Johnny had dropped and Luffy frowned at the sight and decided to talk with her later.</p><p>
  <em>Night time</em>
</p><p>That night, after everyone had gone to bed and Luffy changed out the sails and flag for his own, Luffy approached Nami as she leaned on the railing while ensuring they didn’t drift off course, “So that the guy who hurt you?”</p><p>Luffy asked and Nami stood ramrod straight before Luffy stood beside her, “I can beat Arlong with little trouble Nami.” He stated and Nami froze again, “I saw your tattoo and my dad made sure I knew every noteworthy pirate emblem.”</p><p>He stated and Nami lowered her head sadly, “I don’t mind you only tagging along to get more money, how much do you still need? I can only guess that since you hate pirates that you’re not willingly working for him and since all that guy could want from you for your or someone else’s freedom is money as the other thing is something he could take regardless.”</p><p>He stated and Nami teared up slightly, “He took my mother from me and threatened to destroy my village if I didn’t work for him, but he made a deal that if I got 100,000,000 Beri then he would leave me and the village I grew up in alone. Now, I only need 300,000 more and then it will be done. I’ve had to serve him many times and I want him dead so badly, but I can settle for just getting him out of my life.”</p><p>She stated before she looked up in surprise at Luffy hugging her tightly, “It’s ok Nami, I’ll kill anyone who tries to do that again.”</p><p>He told her and she widened her eyes before nearly tackling him over, but he was able to just sit. He held her tight as she returned the hug and cried into his chest for a few minutes. When she settled down, Luffy simply stroked her back waiting for her to fully calm down, “Nami, I have 500,000 in a briefcase under my bed. When the fighting starts at the Baratie, take the ship and the money and get your freedom. We’ll be maybe a half day behind you. If you get your freedom then you can officially join the crew and if he betrays you then I’ll kill him and then you can join the crew if you want.”</p><p>He stated and Nami looked up at Luffy in shock before hugging him closer and crying again, “Thank you.” She said over and over for a few minutes while Luffy just rubbed her back softly while whispering sweet things in her ear. After a few more minutes of her calming down again, she looked up at him and saw him smiling comfortingly at her and, before she realized what she was doing, she kissed him.</p><p>Luffy widened his eyes slightly before leaning into the kiss and deepening it, while Nami was surprised at herself but felt happy when he didn’t pull back and actually joined in the kiss. She then wrapped her arms around his neck and he responded by holding her tighter to him. After a few minutes of making out, Luffy pulled back and put his forehead to Nami’s, “You know; Makino doesn’t mind sharing me.”</p><p>He stated and Nami looked up at him with hope and surprise and Luffy nodded slightly, “So long as I obey three rules, she doesn’t mind.” Seeing her expectant expression he smiled, “I treat any girl I’m with equally to the rest, I ensure that each girl gets personal time with me, and any girl I want to be with has to be approved by any/all girls that I am currently with.”</p><p>He stated and Nami nodded since those were fair rules, “So, if I ask Makino for permission to date you, provided that she says yes, I can?” She asked and he nodded and she smiled, “Then I’ll do that later. There shouldn’t be anything wrong with you just comforting me, right?”</p><p>She asked and Luffy chuckled, “So long as it doesn’t go beyond me holding you, then yes, it shouldn’t be a problem.”</p><p>He stated and she pouted at not getting to make out with him again for a while, but nodded nonetheless as she wasn’t with Luffy yet and he wouldn’t cheat on any girls he was with, it wasn’t Luffy’s style. She settled for snuggling in close to his chest and realized why Makino did this, he was warm and comforting when like this and it made you feel safe and secure, or maybe that was only her.</p><p>
  <em>Next day: Short distance from the sea restaurant</em>
</p><p>The day had been relatively quiet with Kaya studying some basic medical material that Luffy gave her on different plant life that could heal one thing but make another thing worse, create poisons, paralytics, morphine substitutes, and other ailments. Luffy told her that when she could list at least 15 of the plants in the book, by their scientific name, and what they could be used for, then he would give her more material.</p><p>Usopp was practicing his marksmanship with pebbles that Luffy grabbed from the mountain they shot and was hitting a small target Luffy set at the opposite end of the ship. Nami was fidgeting slightly as she wanted to talk to Makino, but she also was nervous about heading for home to pay her debt and get out. Makino was doing what Usopp was doing only with a smaller target and with her bow. Sabo was twirling and practicing with his Sais and trying to lower the amount of his Speed Speed Fruit’s reset time.</p><p>The others? Well Luffy was facing Johnny, Yosaku, and Zoro in a spar and was making them work to get any form of opening. Already the three of them had a few bruises from Luffy punching, kicking, smacking, or bashing them every time they left an opening. Luffy had just ducked a horizontal swing from Johnny before hitting him with a palm thrust just before Luffy went forward on to his outstretched arm to avoid a chop from Yosaku and then gave him a kick to the face. Luffy then spun to counter Zoro’s low thrust with Wado just before Luffy brought both his legs down on Zoro’s back with a double reverse axe kick.</p><p>Luffy back flipped away before tilting his head to the side to let Makino’s arrow strike the bullseye, while tapping his foot expectantly, “You can’t just rely on your swords. Your opponents will have tricks and weapons that you aren’t grasping. How many weapons do I have on me at the moment?”</p><p>He asked and the three frowned as they caught their breath, “Three” “Three” “Four.”</p><p>They stated with the first two being Johnny and Yosaku, who were looking at Zoro in confusion, and Zoro being the third. Luffy sheathed his sword and set it down before doing the same with his pistols and then his knife, “So according to you, I have no other weapons on me?”</p><p>He asked and they nodded and Luffy sighed, “Zoro attack me.”</p><p>He ordered and Zoro did as ordered only for Luffy to sidestep and punch him, “Two.” He stated before he brought his foot up under Zoro’s chin, “Four.” He spun and slammed his right elbow and left shoulder into Zoro, “8.” He then jumped and smashed his head into Zoro, “9.” Luffy then jabbed Zoro with his fingers, “19.” Before slamming his knee into Zoro’s gut and then slammed his hip into Zoro sending him skidding back, “23.”</p><p>Luffy stated as Zoro was struggling to get up, “24 counting my mouth. That means I have a total of 27 weapons at the ready when I am equipped.”</p><p>He stated before putting his weapons back on and stood with his arms crossed, “If you don’t learn to use your body as well as your weapons, then you’re as good as dead if someone faces you who specializes in countering swordsmen or can remove your swords from you.”</p><p>Luffy stated as he moved to the helm while recalling his dad giving him a similar talk years ago.</p><p>
  <em>Flashback: 3 years ago</em>
</p><p>Luffy was standing in the clearing with Damon standing in front of him with an array of weapons on racks behind him, “Luffy, before your training is done, you’re going to know how to use every single weapon behind me to a proficiency that I deem appropriate.”</p><p>He stated and Luffy tilted his head to the side, “Dad, why do I need to know them all? Wouldn’t it be better if I mastered one or maybe two weapons?”</p><p>He asked and Damon chuckled, “Luffy, I wasn’t the best warrior and fighter of my realm because I mastered one or two weapons. I was the best because I mastered <em>every</em> weapon and thus removed the flaws of those who specialize too heavily.”</p><p>He stated and Luffy frowned slightly and Damon sighed with a smile, “Alright, pick any weapon off the racks and I will pick all the weapons that I can counter you with.”</p><p>He stated and Luffy shrugged before moving to the racks and examined them before grabbing a pair of nunchakus. Damon nodded and moved over and took a pair of cestuses, a Bo staff, a halberd, a pair of Sais, a set of knives, a pair of scimitars, a pair of kilijs, a pair of tonfas, a claymore, a Zweihander, and that was just the melee weapons.</p><p>Damon pointed to each weapon, “Catch the nunchaku and take it away or pull you towards me, knock the nunchaku away or let it wrap around the staff before pulling it away, same as with the bo staff but I can also turn it or thrust while it is caught to bite into you with the blade, I can catch the nunchaku in the prongs of the sais and then stab them into the ground or cut the cords connecting the pieces or even catch them and pull them away from you, the knives I can throw at you to at least put you on the defensive before I move close and stab you. The scimitars I can knock away the hits, cut the cords, cut into one half and pull it away, or throw one as I rush in and stab you with the other and it’s the same principal with the kilijs but with potential to cut through the nunchaku. The tonfas I can catch them and twist them away before I move in and hit you repeatedly. The claymore is too big for the nunchakus to wrap around the blade plus the blade gives me range over you and I can stab or sideswipe even if your nunchaku wraps around the blade and its the same concept with the Zweihander. All of these can counter the nunchakus and give me an edge over you even if you are a master of your weapon and I am simply adept at mine.”</p><p>He stated and Luffy widened his eyes before nodding towards his surrogate father before he put the nunchakus back and looked over the weapons again before seeing a machete and picked it up before giving it a few experimental swings and twirled it in his hand as if he had used it for years. Damon smirked at the sight, “Guess we found your natural weapon.”</p><p>
  <em>Flashback end</em>
</p><p>His thoughts were broken as a Marine ship pulled alongside his and the commanding officer, a Lieutenant named Fullbody came out, “Who is the captain of that ship?” He called out before seeing Luffy there and frowned, “Normally I would arrest you, but I have a date to prepare for and will not waste time with you.”</p><p>He stated and a few strawhats sighed in relief before Fullbody ordered his men to fire at them. As the cannonball launched at them, Luffy’s arm glowed emerald before the cannonball stopped in front of Luffy with wind spinning around shocking those present before Luffy made a flicking motion and the cannonball launched back at Fullbody’s ship and snapped the mast in half, “I’m sorry, but I am looking for more crew members and don’t have time to waste on an insignificant ant like you.”</p><p>Luffy stated as the Going Merry pulled up alongside the Baratie and Luffy jumped across and tied it to one of the fins of the Baratie. Before leading his crew, and three guests (counting Robin), inside and took a table with Luffy removing his hat and setting it down while waiting for service, and smirking at the lieutenant as he came in fuming with his date.</p><p>Makino, naturally, took a seat next to Luffy, who was a gentleman and pulled her chair out, Sabo took a seat opposite the door so he could keep an eye on things, Zoro just sat down with a chair that he could lean back in, Usopp and Kaya took two seats next to each other and Sabo with Usopp following Luffy’s lead and pulled Kaya’s chair out for her, and Nami took the other seat beside Luffy, which he took out for her as well, while looking at both him and then Makino with a blush while Makino just smiled as she would wait till Nami approached her before she allowed the girl to be with her boyfriend.</p><p>It wasn’t long before a smoking chef with blonde hair came over and offered them service… before he began hitting on the three ladies at the table. However, at Makino he got a pistol under his chin and an arrow against his crotch with Makino asking that he never hit on her again since she had a boyfriend already. At Kaya, Usopp put his slingshot at the ready while Kaya had one of the table knives aimed at his crotch before repeating what Makino did. At Nami, however, she ‘flirted’ back and got some free food while Luffy informed the man that they would have no problem paying their bill and was respectfully asking for his recommendations before turning to his crew and asking for any food allergies.</p><p>The man was surprised at Luffy since he seemed like a pirate but was respectful, first evidenced by taking his hat off and pulling the seats out for Makino and Nami, and now was being a concerned host by asking his party what they would like and if there were any hazards he didn’t know about and, besides putting a pistol under his chin, was being very reasonable towards him.</p><p>The man, who then introduced himself as Sanji, offered them the soup as the house special and perhaps some fresh vegetables on the side to balance the meal. Luffy nodded his thanks and turned to his crew, who all nodded with Zoro just asking for some grog as well. He nearly got in trouble with Sanji before Luffy poked his forehead and told him to be respectful, especially to a man who could spit or do something worse to your food if you made him upset. Zoro frowned and nodded before apologizing to Sanji and said man was getting more and more interested in Luffy as things kept happening and Sanji accepted the apology while stating he would be out with some bread and wine to start in a few minutes.</p><p>Luffy thanked him and then looked to a table with a lone woman while motioning that whatever she ordered was on him and Sanji nodded before walking into the kitchen area. Luffy turned to the table and nodded towards Robin, who was surprised that he knew she was there but returned the nod nonetheless.</p><p>A few minutes later, Sanji returned with treys on his head and hands and served the strawhats their wine and bread before delivering the soup to the Lieutenant and his date. Luffy was getting slightly annoyed at the man spouting off about the wine he was drinking especially since Luffy knew the man was wrong since the vintage and everything he was talking about was at their table not his. Even if he was right, Luffy would still be irritated. He continued to cause him irritation by faking a bug in his soup and causing a scene.</p><p>He was about to strike the table before the air was forced out of him as Luffy sent his fist over and slammed it into Fullbody’s stomach. Everyone gasped and turned towards Luffy who had a twitching eyebrow, “Shut up.” He growled before standing as the man growled and looked at him, “I came here for a peaceful meal with my crew and to potentially find a cook and you come in here causing problems. You had a bug in your soup? Big deal, the food is still edible and you wasting the food and causing a commotion just shows what a child you are. So sit down, eat your food, enjoy the beautiful company you have, and, oh yeah, shut up.”</p><p>Luffy stated before sitting down with many having gobsmacked looks on their faces from him insulting a Lieutenant Marine so casually while said Marine’s date was blushing at being called beautiful. Fullbody growled before he moved to punch Luffy only to have his fist caught by Luffy and everyone in the room heard and audible CRACK as Luffy broke his hand and bent the metal he had attached to it before grabbing his head and slamming it onto the ground after Luffy used his foot to push Makino out of the way.</p><p>Luffy pulled out a small pouch and tossed it to Sanji, “For his bill and the disturbance. He isn’t going to be getting off the ground any time soon.” He stated before turning to Fullbody’s date, “Apologies miss.”</p><p>He stated and she waved it off lightly with a blush before a man rushed in, “Lieutenant, the prisoner he…”</p><p>He didn’t finish as he was shot from behind and a sickly looking man came in and sat at an empty table and asked for food. A chef from the back that Sanji identified as Patty came over and asked if he had money. The man’s reply was to put a gun in his face and Patty prepared to smash him.</p><p>However, both were stopped by a hand grabbing Patty’s arm and a finger plugging the gun the man had. They turned to see Luffy with his arms extended before the room became ice cold, “I do believe I just made it clear that I wanted a peaceful meal with my crew. If you two start something, you’ll end up like the Lieutenant here. If he has no money I’ll cover it, a chef’s job is to make sure people aren’t hungry and the man is knocking on death’s door from starvation.”</p><p>He stated and people were getting a little afraid while Sanji, Robin, the man, and the head chef who had just come out felt some new respect for Luffy, “Sanji, get him whatever you think is the most filling food that won’t risk him getting sick and put it on my bill.”</p><p>Luffy stated before he retracted his arms, while taking the gun from the man, and Sanji nodded while stating he would be back in a few minutes with the food. The man simply stared at Luffy dumbfounded that he was just helping him without even knowing him and knowing full well he was a prisoner of the Marines.</p><p>The head chef approached Luffy and stood there for a moment before smirking, “That was some speech kid. You just went a notch up in my book, putting you at notch 1.”</p><p>He stated and Luffy chuckled with a grin, “That means a lot coming from the famous Red Shoes Zeff.”</p><p>Luffy stated and many people around the restaurant did spit takes and/or gaped at Luffy while Zeff smirked, “How’d you know?”</p><p>He asked and Luffy smirked, “What other man has a gaze of a veteran soldier of the seas, blonde hair, and a double braded mustache that can reach his waist when he strokes it?”</p><p>Luffy asked and Zeff smiled slightly, “True enough kid, so you’re a pirate?” He asked and Luffy nodded, “You one of the raiding types or the Pirate King types?”</p><p>He asked and Luffy thought for a moment, “Neither, I guess. I do want One Piece, but only because that marks me as the best and the man with the most freedom in the world. I don’t want to conquer, rule, or take over anything. I just want my freedom to go and do as I please while ensuring those traveling with me live their lives as they see fit as well. Even if it’s a stupid dream, a man has the right to chase his dream and never turn his back. If I die, then I die and if I live, then I live. Worrying over it won’t matter since that would take away my enjoying life and the things that really matter.”</p><p>He stated and his crew, Sanji, Zeff, Robin, and the man felt more respect for Luffy and Zeff went back to a smirk, “Well, what are you doing here?”</p><p>He asked and Luffy grinned, “To be honest, I wanted to see if I could recruit one of your chefs. No offense, I would love to recruit you, but I think your days of pirating are over, and I am <em>not</em> talking about your leg or your age.”</p><p>He stated and Zeff widened his eyes slightly before smiling and nodding, “If you’re looking for a recruit, then Sanji is the closest thing to a son and successor that I have.”</p><p>Zeff stated quietly and Luffy smiled and nodded before Zeff patted his back and left while Sanji served the tables and everyone ate, with the man crying as the food, while simple, was delicious to him and he thanked both Sanji and Luffy repeatedly.</p><p>A few hours later showed Luffy seeing the man, who identified himself as Gin, off, “Gin, you should know the man you follow is not honorable and will turn on anyone if he feels they are in his way if it so pleases him.”</p><p>Luffy stated and Gin froze, “I know you want to be free of him and don’t want to believe that he is like that, so I will offer you a deal. I know you’ll bring him here to get food, so if he does nothing traitorous then we’ll leave it at that. However, if he does, then you are not to interfere in any fights that come and if I beat him, I want you to join my crew.”</p><p>Luffy stated and Gin widened his eyes and looked at Luffy before turning back, “I’ll consider it.” He stated before leaving on a small boat that Luffy bought from the Baratie to let Gin leave.</p><p>Luffy nodded and went back inside before facing his crew, “I want all of you ready for tomorrow.”</p><p>He ordered and they looked at him in confusion and he sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose before speaking loud enough for the whole restaurant to hear, “That was Gin the Man Demon, division commander of the Krieg Pirates. He is the second in command to Don Krieg, who no doubt will either be on his way or brought here in order to get food. In other words, we’re gonna have a decent sized fight on our hands since the chefs here can’t take the entirety of Krieg’s forces.”</p><p>He stated and the patrons paled in horror before paying their bills and taking off while most of his crew seemed excited at the idea as Sabo knew 99% of that crew was cannon fodder, Zoro thought he may get a good workout, and Makino knew that Luffy was hoping to fight a strong opponent. However, Nami knew that tomorrow was when Luffy expected her to leave and was mentally preparing for it.</p><p>
  <em>Next day</em>
</p><p>True to Luffy’s words, a large nearly destroyed ship came upon the Baratie and looked like it had been in a battle between it and 12 Marine Ships. Gin came in dragging Don Krieg who begged for food and received it from Sanji. However, true to Luffy’s words, the minute Krieg was done eating he clotheslined Sanji and sent him flying back.</p><p>Gin was horrified that Krieg would do this before Krieg began demanding 100 meals for his crew while Luffy was just sipping his wine without a care in the world with Zoro, Sabo, and Makino following suit since if Luffy wasn’t concerned, then they had no reason to be either.</p><p>Sanji attempted to make the meals stating his duty as a cook ordered him to feed those who are hungry regardless of their choices in life and the other chefs stopped him before Patty attempted to stop Krieg and failed miserably. Zeff then came and dropped a large bag in front of Krieg stating 100 meals were in it before Krieg realized who he was speaking to and demanded Zeff’s logbook of the Grand Line along with the ship or he would kill everyone on board and still take it.</p><p>Luffy frowned and groaned, getting everyone’s attention on him, “Oh will you shut up! I hate hearing ignorant and stupid fools spouting about things they have no clue about.”</p><p>Luffy stated while many gaped at him for speaking that way to Krieg, who was fuming and was about to retort before a BANG rang out and he felt something warm on his cheek. Bringing his hand up, Krieg found he was bleeding and saw Luffy there with his pistol out and smoking and everyone realized he had gotten the gun out, fired it, and hit Krieg before even 2 seconds had passed, “I thought I told you to shut up. You spouting off about finding One Piece doesn’t mean anything since you’re too weak to make a bit of difference on the Grand Line, the fact that you barely lasted a week there proves that.”</p><p>Luffy stated and Krieg growled before grabbing the food and leaving while stating he would be back to take the ship and the logbook. Luffy holstered his pistol and finished his drink before heading out and nodding at Nami, who gave a brief one and Luffy leaned against the wall of the Baratie and looking at the destroyed ship while Gin sat at the railing waiting to see if Luffy would beat Krieg or not, only then would he make his decision.</p><p>Usopp yelled out that Nami was taking the ship and Luffy ordered him to calm down and take one of the smaller boats to follow her in a few minutes since he knew which way she was going. Luffy then looked to Zoro and motioned towards the ship and Zoro looked just in time to see it get sliced in half and widened his eyes as he tied his bandanna around his head and prepared to take his three blades while the other crew members minus Sabo and Luffy got on the small boat as Makino figured she would make sure the boys wouldn’t get in trouble.</p><p>Zoro hopped along before seeing Mihawk deflect bullets with his blade and saw that he used the same gracefulness as Luffy did and knew he probably wasn’t going to win this fight, but it would be interesting and a learning experience nonetheless. Zoro jumped in front of Mihawk with his blades still resting on his side, “It’s an honor Hawkeye Mihawk.”</p><p>Zoro stated and gave a light bow of his head in respect, which shocked Johnny and Yosaku, and Mihawk gave a small smirk at that, “Thank you, but who are you and what do you want?”</p><p>He asked as he could see a fire in the man’s eye that was very rare in anyone he had met so far. Zoro smirked, “I’m Roronoa Zoro, second best in sword combat behind my Captain in the East Blue and I was planning on beating you and taking your title, but seeing you do what you just did shows me that I have no chance of doing that.”</p><p>He stated and Mihawk was surprised at his honesty and lack of boastfulness that he had seen in many swordsmen so far, “I see then why are you in front of me now?”</p><p>He asked and Zoro smirked, but it wasn’t one of cockiness or any of that, but one of excitement and thrill, “To get a measure of my strength and get knowledge.”</p><p>He stated before taking his blades and taking a ready stance and he could hear Wado giving its encouragement, while unknowingly so could Mihawk and he could feel the respect the blade had for its master. Mihawk did not want to insult the blade but he wanted to see if Zoro could force him to use something worthwhile. With that thought in mind, he took the small knife off his neck and held it at the ready, “You interest me sir, let’s see if you can keep my interest.”</p><p>He stated as he expected Zoro to act out of rage or something from the supposed insult of using the small blade against him. What he got however, was a deadly serious stare on him from Zoro that showed he would not attack blindly and Mihawk’s respect went up a notch at that.</p><p>Zoro took a calming breath and prepared his first attack, “Oni Giri!”</p><p>He yelled as he burst forward but was stopped when Mihawk put his blade at the intersection of Zoro’s blades stopping them. Zoro was interested, Luffy sighed, and the others were shocked. However, Mihawk was surprised at the lack of surprise on Zoro’s face before he grunted as Zoro brought his boot up and slammed it into Mihawk’s torso.</p><p>Mihawk backed up slightly and looked at Zoro, “I thought you were a swordsman?”</p><p>He asked and Zoro nodded, “I am, these swords are an extension of my body, which means my body is also a part of them. I will always favor attacks with my swords, but I can still use the rest of my body to fight.”</p><p>He stated and Mihawk gave a smirk, he was starting to like this guy. Zoro took a different stance and took a calming breath, “Tiger Hunt!”</p><p>He yelled and dashed forward but Mihawk stabbed Zoro in his left shoulder and was impressed that he didn’t move back and instead took the hit. Zoro seeing his reaction, smirked, “I won’t run, I refuse to take defeat while I can still stand. I will die before that happens.”</p><p>He stated and Mihawk widened his eyes and nodded before sheathing his knife, “Give me your name again.”</p><p>He stated and Zoro smirked before putting the hilts of two of his swords together in front of him, “Roronoa Zoro.”</p><p>Zoro stated and Mihawk nodded, “I’ll remember it and I honor you with facing you with the strongest black sword in existence.”</p><p>Mihawk stated and, somehow, Zoro felt Luffy’s was the strongest but he wasn’t going to say that, <em>“This is it, if I can at least give him a cut or something then I know that I have made progress.”</em> “Secret Technique.”</p><p>Zoro thought then stated as he spun the two swords in his hand and Mihawk widened his eyes slightly at feeling his swords resonating to the desire of their master and prepared himself for something worth seeing, “Three Thousand Worlds.”</p><p>Zoro blurred forward and so did Mihawk. When they stopped, Mihawk had a small cut in his cloak and Zoro’s two weaker swords shattered while he had a gash across his chest. Zoro took a knee before removing his sheaths and took his Wado Ichimonji in hand and faced Mihawk, who was surprised that Zoro was still standing with his last sword… humming in his grasp, “I thought you used three swords?”</p><p>Mihawk asked with clear curiosity and Zoro nodded, “I do, but my Captain has been drilling it into me to learn one sword style to be able to fight in case I lost my other two swords. I only have one attack and it will be my last one, I already feel victorious by cutting your cloak, but I will strive for more.”</p><p>He stated and Mihawk smiled and took his stance as Zoro took a deep breath and released it, “Ittōryū: Shishi Rendan.”</p><p>He stated and Mihawk was surprised as Zoro’s one sword seemed to split apart into ten as they all rushed at him following Zoro’s will. Mihawk, for his part, was vastly impressed and was able to block the flurry of strikes that came at him but found that with each thrust, they only sped up and was getting more and more impressed with Zoro.</p><p>Within 10 seconds, the attack ended and Zoro breathed hard as the attack took a lot out of him. He sighed and sheathed his sword before spreading his arms shocking Mihawk, “But why?”</p><p>He asked in confusion and Zoro smirked, “Scars on the back are a swordsman’s shame.”</p><p>Zoro stated and Mihawk smiled approvingly before slashing him across the chest, “ZORO!”</p><p>Luffy screamed while Johnny and Yosaku jumped into the water to get Zoro. Luffy growled before vanishing and Sabo moved farther back which the chefs then reciprocated. Mihawk sensed something and barely had time to redraw his sword to block Luffy’s own and the shockwave it released launched several of Krieg’s men out of the water while the chefs flew back into the restaurant, Krieg was flung into the ship, and the only ones still able to stand were Zeff, though still bracing himself; Gin, though he was on his knees; Sanji, same thing as Gin; Robin, who was off a ways on her turtle and was having a hard time not falling into the ocean; and Sabo, though he was struggling.</p><p>Zeff then pointed up while the shockwave was still echoing out and the others saw the clouds were scattering away from the seemingly two forces of nature colliding. The others were shocked by this and Mihawk was shocked at Luffy’s black blade colliding with and that Luffy’s seemed to be overpowering his.</p><p>His thoughts were broken when Luffy slammed his fist into Mihawk’s gut and caused the man to spit up some blood before being sent sailing back and the shockwave ended. Mihawk caught himself and blocked another strike from Luffy that had similar results as the first strike but Mihawk dodged the attack that Luffy attempted to follow up with before blocking the next sword strike and then put some distance between himself and Luffy, “Relax, he still lives.”</p><p>He stated and Luffy stopped and looked, sure enough Zoro was hacking out water and blood before he shocked everyone by standing and raising Wado in a salute, “Luffy. You would be disappointed right? If I didn’t become the best. That’s why, I swear that I will never lose again. Do you hear me, King of the Pirates!?!”</p><p>He shouted and Luffy grinned, “I got it.”</p><p>He stated and Mihawk smiled as he found they made a good team before sheathing his sword and walking away before Krieg stopped him asking about him coming for Krieg’s head. Mihawk sighed and looked at him in boredom, “I have been sated in my desire for a fight for now. I will find another prey when it suits me.”</p><p>Krieg growled and fired at him before the ocean rose up and stopped the bullets from moving and Mihawk was surprised to see Luffy with his arm extended and glowing navy blue. Luffy motioned for him to leave and Mihawk nodded before boarding his ship and taking off. Luffy turned to Usopp and told him to head after Nami and they would catch up.</p><p>The others sailed off while the Baratie opened large fins to fight on and the chefs began attacking the invading Krieg Pirates. Unfortunately, the chefs couldn’t handle the numbers before Sanji joined in and began knocking/kicking them aside before a large man named Pearl came up and faced Sanji.</p><p>Sanji put up a good fight but he couldn’t kick through steel. He then began using unorthodox moves such as kicking off a shield to go over and slam Pearl’s face into his own shield. Unfortunately, that made Pearl go into his PTSD rage and he began slamming his shields together and setting himself on fire. Sanji began to panic until he discovered the fight had been taken from his hands.</p><p>Luffy frowned and his arm glowed navy blue again before water washed over Pearl dousing the flames before cuts appeared all along his arms and legs. Pearl screamed out as Sabo reappeared next to Sanji putting his sais back into his coat. Through perseverance, Pearl stood up before Luffy appeared with his fist cocked back. Pearl instinctively put his shields up thinking Luffy was just going to hurt himself, oh how wrong he was, “RAAH!”</p><p>Luffy roared as his fist smashed through Pearl’s shields before breaking through his chest shield and launching the man back across the water and planting him in the side of the destroyed ship. Luffy stood and glared at the man before turning his attention to Krieg.</p><p>Luffy approached as Krieg fired bullets at him only for the bullets to hit and fling right back at him. Krieg growled and then launched spikes/stakes and Luffy just dodged them like they were nothing. Krieg then attempted his poison gas bomb but Luffy’s arm glowed again and the ocean swallowed it.</p><p>Luffy still calmly walked forward and Krieg took his spiked cloak out and wrapped himself in it. Luffy simply raised his leg and smashed his foot into Krieg’s torso sending him crashing through the mast. Luffy pulled his leg back and kept walking forward before using his wind affinity to push a stream of fire from Krieg back at him forcing him to dodge. Krieg then attempted bombs but Luffy just knocked them aside sending them into the water.</p><p>Krieg then pulled his spear out and Luffy walked forward before Krieg thrust it forward and, in a flash, Krieg’s spear was split clean in half and Krieg was missing two fingers off his hand. Krieg yelled in pain before glaring hatefully at Luffy, while Luffy sheathed his sword and walked. When Luffy got close, Krieg hit him with an iron net and threw him into the ocean.</p><p>Krieg laughed in victory while the chefs were wondering why Sabo was so calm. They got their answer when Luffy’s fist rocketed out and slammed into Krieg’s face sending him back into the ship. Everyone watched as Luffy grabbed the edge and reeled himself back in.</p><p>He landed on his feet before stretching his ears open and letting a torrent of water out before he shook his head, “Hey, that cleaned my ears out.”</p><p>He stated happily while everyone, minus Sabo, gaped at him. Luffy turned towards Krieg as the man barely got out of the ship and he had spat out some teeth before Luffy was in front of him glaring hatefully while his fist was back by Sanji and Sabo, “Bye.”</p><p>He stated before his fist launched forward and smashed into Krieg’s armored torso and went through the armor into the man’s gut. Everyone gaped again because not only did Luffy go through Krieg’s armor, but you could see the bulge sticking out of the back of where Luffy’s fist was.</p><p>Luffy turned to the Krieg pirates and glared while releasing his Killing Intent, “Leave, and if I ever hear about you causing trouble again, I will kill you all.”</p><p>He stated and the men paled in fear before grabbing one of the remaining small boats and piled on before Luffy threw Krieg and Pearl onto the pile and moved back to the Baratie. When he got there Gin stood in front of him with a blank expression and Luffy just looked back. Gin then smirked, “Orders, captain?”</p><p>He asked, with most of the area being surprised or gaping, and Luffy smirked, “We rest for now, I know where Nami is going so she won’t be that hard to find and catch up to.”</p><p>He stated and Gin raised an eyebrow, “You knew she was gonna take the ship?”</p><p>He asked and Luffy nodded, “I ordered her to in order to get her freedom from Arlong the fishman.”</p><p>He stated and Gin widened his eyes before smirking, “I can tell that serving under you is gonna be interesting and wild.”</p><p>He stated while chuckling and Sabo joined in, “You have no idea.”</p><p>Sabo stated before Sanji approached with his cigarette in his mouth… or was that another one? Anyway, he stood there for a moment before smirking, “Still need a cook?”</p><p>He asked and the other cooks, besides Zeff, had shocked expressions on their faces and Luffy grinned, “Yup and I would be glad to take the successor to Red Shoes Zeff.”</p><p>He stated and Sanji smirked before shaking his hand and the four entered the restaurant with Luffy throwing a pouch to Zeff, “That should cover any damages done from the fight, though I would see what you can salvage from Krieg’s ship. Whatever y’all don’t want, I’ll take with me.”</p><p>Luffy stated and Zeff smirked while telling Patty and another cook to see if there was anything they would want before coming back to work.</p><p>
  <em>3 hours later</em>
</p><p>Zeff had chatted with Luffy about some of his experiences on the Grand Line and even gave him a special item that was a must have on the Grand Line before a panda shark came crashing through the wall with Yosaku in hand, err, mouth. Yosaku informed them that they had tracked Nami and knew who she was seeing, before Luffy told him he knew already since he told her to take the boat and get her freedom.</p><p>Yosaku was curious what he meant, but Luffy told him he would tell him when they got started following her and Zeff gave him the last small boat they had while Luffy paid for the damages… again and took a few things from Krieg’s ship before setting sail after Nami while Luffy sensed Robin was following them.</p><p>Said woman could only find her curiosity growing as not only was Luffy taking down these ‘big names’ of the East Blue with ease, but he had elemental command and apparently could swim and not be weakened by the sea. She chuckled to herself as her list of questions surrounding Luffy only grew, though she had to say that he was gathering an interesting crew. She may just have to consider his offer to join a little more seriously, especially if he ever ended up fighting Crocodile. But she would sit back and wait to see how he would deal with a Fishman like Arlong.</p><p>
  <strong>Done!</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Next time will be Arlong and probably Rogue Town/Logue Town while maybe having the Laboon incident too. In either case, you’ll be seeing at least four more crew members next chapter not counting Nami. Also, I guarantee there will be at least one item next chapter that you will NEVER see coming.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>What kind of weapon should Kaya use?</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Well, that should be it, please give me more reviews and such.</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Fishmen and Smoker</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luffy follows Nami to ensure Arlong keeps his end of the bargain then it's off to Loguetown</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Hello all and welcome back to Reaper of the Seas.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Anyway, I was wrong and there are actually five members joining Luffy this time and you get to see two of the pairings for Luffy, one for Zoro, and one for Sabo.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>This will cover the Arlong arc, Loguetown, and Laboon.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Oh, you’ll be seeing the change done to the Going Merry this chapter, thank you ship graveyard of Arlong’s, and there will be some noticeable differences as I noticed that the Going Merry and Thousand Sunny didn’t match up to the style of ship they were classified as in the anime. I understand that the anime had creative license, but I am going to go with the legit versions of their types.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Anyway, let’s move on to what you all actually want to see.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Disclaimer: If I owned One Piece, then Luffy would have been able to beat Kuzan when they ran into him the first time.</strong>
</p><p>“Speech”</p><p>
  <em>“Thoughts”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘Conversation thoughts’</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>“Non-humanoid/pissed off Luffy voice”</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“Above’s thoughts”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“Above’s conversation thoughts”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <em>{Flashback}</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>CHAPTER 4: Fishmen and Smoker</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>Ocean: A few miles from the Baratie</em>
</p><p>Luffy was relaxing on the boat as they sailed towards the Conomi Islands where Nami’s home of Cocoyashi was. Gin was at the rudder ensuring they stayed on course according to Luffy’s orders, Sanji was thinking about the different food possibilities in the world, Sabo was lazing about and relaxing, and Yosaku was biting his nails wondering if they would die facing Arlong. However, the latter then remembered something, “Hey, Luffy-aniki, what did you mean by Nami buying her freedom?”</p><p>Yosaku asked and the other four, as Robin was still following them, perked up and Luffy sighed, “About a decade or so ago, the Fishmen pirates under Saw Nose Arlong took over one of the islands of Conomi that had a village on it named Cocoyashi. He taxes the people heavily and kills anyone who either doesn’t pay or resists his rule. Turns out, Nami lost someone precious to her because of him and was offered a deal that if she paid 100 million Berri, then he would leave the town alone and she wouldn’t have to serve as his navigator/slave.”</p><p>He stated and the five were shocked before Luffy continued, “So I gave her the last of the money she needed and told her we’d catch up to her and if he kept his word then she could join the crew officially and if he betrayed her then I would kill him and then she could join the crew officially.”</p><p>He stated and the others nodded before Sanji began cooking and Luffy waved Robin up to join them which she did, “Nice to see you again Robin-chan.”</p><p>Luffy stated giving her a wink and she smirked, and blushed slightly, “Nice to see you again too, Luffy.”</p><p>She stated returning the wink and Luffy smirked before Sanji came out with food before ogling and fawning over Robin while they ate. However, their meal was interrupted by a giant sea cow. While Yosaku was freaking out, Luffy frowned, “Hey Sanji.” He called and Sanji grunted towards him while remaining calm, “If you were to cook this thing, would it fall under steak, seafood, or some hybrid of the two?”</p><p>He asked and Sanji took a drag of his cigarette, “Not sure, we can find out.”</p><p>He stated before the cow tried to take Luffy’s food and it got itself socked in the face with a punch before Sanji tried to offer it food and then proceeded to kick it when it almost bit his hand off. After scaring it off, and eating their meal, Robin got back on her turtle and drifted away while Luffy knew she would be following them. He decided to make her work slightly and used his wind affinity to go faster.</p><p>When Robin was a distance, and giggling slightly at Luffy doing that, a vulture carrying an otter flew down and gave her a message. Opening it, she frowned as her boss was ordering her to return ASAP and she would comply, but first she wanted to see how Luffy faired against Arlong and set Banchi to go faster.</p><p>
  <em>Arlong Park: Short ways from Cocoyashi Village</em>
</p><p>At that moment, said Fishman was sitting on his chair relaxing with his crew/brothers all chatting about the area before Nami came in showing her tattoo, “Nami, what a surprise, did you get closer to your goal this time?”</p><p>He asked with some humor and Nami smirked and Arlong felt a chill go down his spine, “Actually Arlong, I have all the money to buy the village.”</p><p>She stated happily and the Fishmen were shocked while Arlong hid his better, “Really, well when I have it in front of me to count then we can settle our deal.”</p><p>He stated and Nami nodded, “I’ll bring it tomorrow.”</p><p>She stated before walking off with her mind wondering which way Arlong was going to go. When she was out of the park, Arlong broke the arm of his chair that he was gripping tight, “Get Nezumi here, NOW!”</p><p>He ordered loudly and two of his men nodded before diving into the sea and heading out. Not noticing the small ship pulling alongside Cocoyashi and five people disembarking the boat, “So what do we do now?”</p><p>Johnny asked and Makino looked around, “We wait for Luffy to catch up and let us know what we should do and knowing him, he’ll be here before nightfall.”</p><p>Makino stated and the others shrugged before they saw some Fishmen harassing a man covered in scars. They frowned before Makino had them move away just in time to see a blue haired girl come and stop the Fishmen before Makino’s group bumped into Nami with the blue haired girl standing beside her, “Hello Nami, Luffy should be here soon.”</p><p>Makino stated and Nami smiled and nodded, “Ok, hopefully it won’t be because of something bad.” She stated before seeing the blue haired girl frowning and Nami laughed slightly, “Sorry Nojiko. Guys this is my sister Nojiko, Nojiko these are my friends and future crew mates.”</p><p>She stated shocking the now named Nojiko, “What kind of crew are they?”</p><p>She asked and Nami chuckled nervously, “They’re a pirate crew, the Strawhat Pirates.”</p><p>She stated getting a gobsmacked look from Nojiko as the others smiled nervously and Nojiko turned to Nami, “You got some explaining to do Nami.”</p><p>Nojiko stated as Nami nodded and went home with her while the others went to relax in the woods and wait for Luffy.</p><p>
  <em>3 hours later</em>
</p><p>Luffy’s group docked the boat and went inland where they met Nojiko, “Excuse me miss, have you seen our friends? A long nose guy with black hair, a girl with blonde hair and kind eyes, a guy with glasses and a tattoo on his face, a girl with a bow and crossbow on her back, and a green haired guy with a sword on his waist and seemed to have difficulty breathing.”</p><p>Luffy asked and Nojiko had to struggle not to blush when she realized this was Luffy and remembered Nami stating his girlfriend would share and how much Nami enjoyed kissing him and she had to admit that Luffy was handsome, “Oh, yes, they are in the woods that way.”</p><p>She pointed and Luffy nodded as the group walked off before Luffy went to Nojiko’s ear, “You know, I wonder if you or Nami ever considered sharing a guy and spending ‘quality’ time together.”</p><p>He whispered leaving her there blushing and fidgeting, <em>“I have no idea whether to call him a pervert or actually consider doing that. Nami technically isn’t my sister and she does have a great body. No! Bad Nojiko. But that girl with the bow was cute too. Ah, dammit, I’m gonna become a pervert at this rate, but maybe I can be a satisfied pervert with him. Dammit!”</em></p><p>Nojiko thought as she tried to get her blush under control and headed for home with many thoughts going through her head. Luffy smirked as he walked into the woods and found the rest of his crew relaxing in the shade. Luffy sat down next to Makino, who immediately moved to Luffy’s lap and snuggled close to him, <em>“I don’t think I will ever get tired of this.”</em></p><p>Makino thought as she loved being close to Luffy and Zoro then spoke, “So what is the plan, Captain?”</p><p>He asked and everyone turned to Luffy, “We wait to see if Nami is betrayed or not. If she isn’t, we’ll hang out here for a few days before setting out. If she is, then I’m gonna destroy Arlong, his park, and his crew.”</p><p>He stated while Zoro raised an eyebrow, “You mean we will?”</p><p>He asked and Luffy shook his head, “No, because if Arlong does betray Nami, then he is gonna piss me off and I get rather destructive when I am pissed off.”</p><p>Luffy warned and Sabo nodded towards them that it was true and they all nodded their consent. Luffy nodded, “Good, we’ll relax today and worry about everything tomorrow since Nami can’t get Arlong his money together today and its almost nightfall anyway.”</p><p>He ordered and they all nodded and got comfortable as they waited for tomorrow with Sanji prepping for dinner, Zoro napping, Johnny and Yosaku talking about some new sword attacks, Gin getting used to his crew, Kaya and Usopp talking, and Luffy and Makino talking about two girls on the island.</p><p>
  <em>The next day</em>
</p><p>Makino awoke to not having Luffy in her arms and looked to find a note, <em>Went for a walk; I’ll come get you if there is trouble.</em> She read and smiled at that before she noticed a man covered in scars leading some Marines towards a grove they heard people talk about and frowned slightly before waking everyone and having them go into town.</p><p>Meanwhile, Luffy saw the Marines and frowned before he followed them as he was sure Damon had told him about that Captain but couldn’t place it. Luffy watched as the men began going through the orchard to find Nami’s stash even after the man named Genzo yelled at them that she was using it to buy the village. Luffy did intervene when one tried to shoot Nami and her sister. CLANG!</p><p>Everyone turned to see Luffy in front of Nojiko with his sword out and the two halves of the bullet on the ground and Luffy looked very unhappy, “I don’t like corrupt Marines, especially ones who value money over people. Leave or you will regret it.”</p><p>Luffy warned and Nami was happy to see him and pulled Nojiko and Genzo back as the Captain, named Nezumi, laughed, “Shishi, you think I am afraid of some brat like you? Men kill him.”</p><p>He ordered and his men took their rifles before Luffy swung his sword and their rifles fell apart being cut in half and a few were missing fingers. Luffy then vanished and had his pistol at Nezumi’s head before he kicked his knee shattering it and getting him to yell in pain, “I said leave. Do it now or I will kill you.”</p><p>Luffy stated darkly and Nezumi and his men scrambled to leave. Luffy sheathed his sword and turned before Nami tackled him in a hug and began kissing him deeply. Luffy responded before they broke it and Nami widened her eyes and tried to speak before Luffy put a finger to her mouth, “Makino-chan said it was fine, Nami-chan.”</p><p>He stated and she widened her eyes before squealing happily as she glomped and kissed him again. Luffy pulled back with a serious expression, “Now, I have some Fishmen to kill.”</p><p>He stated as he let go of Nami and went towards town while Genzo and Nojiko had gobsmacked expressions, “He’s gonna kill Arlong?!?”</p><p>Genzo shouted and Nami nodded with teary smile, “Why?!?”</p><p>Genzo demanded and Nami smiled, “Let’s follow and find out.”</p><p>Nami stated as she walked after Luffy with Nojiko and Genzo following and they caught up as Luffy headed into town, “Let’s go.”</p><p>Luffy stated with his hands in his pockets and his crew, plus Johnny and Yosaku, stood and followed him with the other villagers seeing the ruckus following once they saw Nami, Nojiko, and Genzo following them.</p><p>It only took a few minutes to reach the gates and Luffy looked to his crew, “Remember stay outside this wall.” He ordered and the group nodded as Luffy cracked his knuckles.</p><p>Inside, Arlong was frowning and the other Fishmen were confused, “What’s the matter boss?”</p><p>One of the Fishmen asked and Arlong frowned, “Nezumi landed a while ago, yet Nami hasn’t come barging in accusing me of stealing or breaking my promise.”</p><p>He stated and the other Fishmen widened their eyes, but before they could react the gates exploded inwards and they had to shield themselves from the rubble. When the dust cleared, Luffy stood there with a glare that could freeze Hell, “So, you’re Arlong?”</p><p>Luffy stated and Arlong raised an eyebrow and nodded, “Yes, and who are you?”</p><p>He asked and Luffy popped his neck as he walked forward, “Luffy.”</p><p>He stated and Arlong raised an eyebrow higher, “Oh? And what is a Luffy?”</p><p>Luffy cracked his knuckles, “A Pirate.”</p><p>He stated before two of the Fishmen got in his way and Luffy simply grabbed their heads and clenched his hands before dropping them much to the shock of those watching. Arlong reigned in his surprise, “Really? And what does a Pirate have to do with me?”</p><p>Arlong asked before Luffy was next to him in a flash and grabbed his face before lifting him and bringing him to Luffy’s eye level and Arlong felt a very human chill go down his spine, “You betrayed a member of my family and used her like she was something to possess, that is unforgivable.”</p><p>Luffy growled before he slammed his fist into Arlong’s torso sending him flying back into the wall. When the dust cleared, people expected Arlong to be shrugging the hit off but they were shocked to see Arlong hunched over coughing up blood. Arlong looked at Luffy while still struggling to breathe, <em>“What is this man?!?”</em></p><p>Arlong thought with some fear inside him and Luffy eyed the other Fishmen that seemed hesitant to attack and Luffy took his coat off and dropped it on the ground where it shocked everyone when it landed with a thud and created a crater under it.</p><p>Luffy rolled his shoulders as everyone noticed his affinity marks on his right arm and on his left; they saw tattoos of an Eagle, Lion, Great White Shark, Bear, Hawk, Turtle, a large spider, and a Praying Mantis. On his back they, being the crew and townspeople, could see parts of other tattoos but couldn’t make them out.</p><p>Luffy smirked at the Fishmen, “Who gets to die first?”</p><p>He asked and the Fishmen growled before the small fry charged Luffy. Luffy smirked and drew his blade before he was gone and all anyone saw were flashes of light across the Fishmen before Luffy appeared on the other side of them and sheathed his sword. As soon as the CLICK was heard, the Fishmen all screamed as wounds appeared and they dropped to the ground.</p><p>Everyone was shocked, none more so then Zoro, Yosaku, Johnny, and the remaining Fishmen. Sabo and Makino seemed the least surprised, “Who… what is he?”</p><p>Genzo asked and Sabo chuckled, “He’s the next King of the Pirates.”</p><p>Sabo stated and Makino added, “He’s also the one who is gonna kill Arlong.”</p><p>She stated and Nami seemed to be the most focus on the massacre, I mean fight. The Octopus Fishman got upset and called out to the ocean before the sea cow came up from the water and all but Luffy’s crew, minus Usopp and Kaya, were freaking out. However the sea cow saw Luffy and gulped before turning around, “Where are you going Momoo?”</p><p>Arlong asked and Momoo froze, “It’s fine, you can leave Momoo. I’m not going to stop you.”</p><p>He finished and Momoo turned around and was in a fury and lunged at Luffy before he froze when he looked at Luffy. Luffy looked normal, but his eyes were different: The Sclera was pitch black, the Iris was silver, and the Pupil was pure white. The other noteworthy item was the pupil itself: It was slitted vertically, horizontally, and diagonally while staying within the Iris. Momoo began shaking as it recognized part of those eyes and everyone present was shocked that it was more scared of Luffy than Arlong, <strong>“Leave.”</strong></p><p>Luffy ordered in a tone that made everyone go on edge and Momoo nodded fearfully before backing away, “Momoo, you aren’t leaving are you?”</p><p>Arlong asked and Momoo stopped before looking at him then at Luffy and then nodded quickly before diving under water and swimming away shocking the Fishmen more. Luffy blinked his eyes a few times to get them normal again before facing the last four Fishmen.</p><p>The townspeople were gaping at the sight, “How-how did he do that?”</p><p>Genzo asked with shock and no one on Luffy’s crew could see to answer it, not even Sabo or Makino, “I-I honestly don’t know. It wasn’t Killing Intent. Momoo must have seen something that terrified him to the point even Arlong was nothing to worry about.”</p><p>Makino stated and all the listeners, including a certain devil girl, were shocked. Luffy cracked his neck before looking at the remaining Fishmen who seemed very displeased. The Octopus then ran into the building and came out with eight swords, “I’ll handle this guy.”</p><p>He stated before shooting ink at Luffy only to be shocked when he just batted it aside. He then got mad before Arlong spoke, “Hachi, calm down.”</p><p>He ordered and the now named Hachi did as ordered and went at Luffy with his eight blades. However, Luffy shocked them again when he caught the blades, four in each hand, between his fingers and stopped Hachi in his tracks. Hachi was gritting his teeth as Luffy moved the blades away before slamming his boot into Hachi’s chest sending him flying back into the wall. Hachi hung there imbedded in the wall with blood leaking from his mouth and his eyes blank as Luffy snapped his swords and dropped them on the ground.</p><p>The other two grit their teeth while hoping Arlong wouldn’t get too mad and end up destroying Arlong Park. The one with big lips, who Arlong identified as Chu, began spitting water at Luffy who just batted them aside like they were nothing before he pulled his pistol and shot Chu through his chest killing him. The other Fishman, identified as Kuroobi, growled before charging Luffy and attacked with a flurry of punches and kicks that Luffy blocked or redirected before he locked him in a block, “Come on stop trying to hit me and hit me.”</p><p>Luffy stated and Kuroobi got angry and renewed his attack as Luffy blocked and redirected more attacks before Luffy turned sideways and blocked his attacks with one arm for a few moments before pushing him away only for him to renew his attack. Luffy then let one hit him and he turned his head slightly before looking at the stunned Kuroobi, “That one was free.”</p><p>Luffy stated before he punched Kuroobi in the gut and Kuroobi hunched over gaping and struggling to breath as blood came from his mouth and he backed up a few steps. Luffy stood straight as he watched the karate Fishman struggle to breathe before he regained himself and glared at Luffy before he prepared to use some Fishmen technique, “Now I will show you my ultimate technique: The Thousand Brick Fist.”</p><p>Kuroobi stated and Luffy stood there without a care in the world as Kuroobi took his stance and got ready. When Kuroobi launched forward, Luffy caught Kuroobi’s hand with a resounding thud, shocking everyone, and twisted it away before kicking him away only to grab his ponytail and pull Kuroobi back before slamming his knee into Kuroobi’s neck where a sickening crack occurred and Kuroobi went limp before Luffy pushed him away and stood there.</p><p>Luffy turned towards Arlong before removing his hat and threw it to Makino who smiled and set it on her head as Luffy cracked his knuckles and stood there as Arlong growled and ground his teeth at seeing Luffy destroy his crew. He stood and approached Luffy and stood in front of him before cracking his knuckles, “So human, you want to fight me?”</p><p>Arlong asked and Luffy smirked, “Fight you? No, I want to kill you.”</p><p>Luffy stated and Arlong grit his teeth before Luffy smacked his leg out from under him and then backhanded him sending him back a few feet. Arlong spat his teeth out before new ones grew and he charged forward intent on biting Luffy’s head off. Luffy dodged the bite before twisting and axe kicking Arlong into the ground creating a crater before Luffy kicked him into the water.</p><p>The watchers were shocked as Luffy dismantled Arlong’s crew like they were nothing and hadn’t even gotten a scratch. The only hit he took was the one he let hit and it hadn’t done anything at all. The villagers were the most shocked as they had tried rebelling and the Fishmen picked them apart like they were ants.</p><p>The crew, while surprised, had begun to expect things like this from their Captain and Zoro smirked, “I really did find a great training partner in Luffy.”</p><p>He stated and Gin and Sanji smirked and nodded, “Me too.”</p><p>They chorused while Usopp was surprised at what Luffy was doing along with Kaya, while Johnny and Yosaku had their jaws on the ground at what they were witnessing. Nami was surprised, but was smiling as tears came down her eyes as she saw someone destroying her tormentor. Nojiko was surprised as well and was getting a little excited, the sexual kind, at the way he was dominating the fight.</p><p>Robin, from the distance, was amazed to as she didn’t think she or her boss could do this that easily without even getting hit once. She wasn’t counting the ‘free’ one Luffy gave Kuroobi as he clearly could have stopped or dodged it and decided not to in order to give his opponent a bit of fear. She was becoming more and more convinced that Luffy may be able to not only bring down her boss but keep her safe like he said he could.</p><p>Back with Luffy he was just standing at the edge of the water waiting for Arlong to come at him before he saw a fin above the water. The fin went under the water before he heard a yell, “Shark Darts!”</p><p>Arlong yelled as he leapt out of the only for Luffy to grab his nose and slam him on the ground before he then did something that shocked everyone, Luffy cleanly snapped off Arlong’s nose. Arlong was on the ground in pain before Luffy flipped the nose in his hands like a knife before he threw it into Arlong’s hand pinning it to the ground. Arlong renewed his scream before tearing his hand off and looked shakily at Luffy with fear in his eyes. Luffy smirked, “So much for the all-powerful Fishmen.”</p><p>Luffy stated angering Arlong, who launched himself at Luffy and got back handed by him into the wall where Arlong came out with his saw sword and Luffy caught it in his hand holding Arlong in place before he snapped it in half and kicked Arlong into the top room. Luffy followed him before frowning at the sight of the room filled with charts, a desk, bloody writing and drawing tools, and the thing that made Luffy’s blood boil: A bed with shackles.</p><p>Luffy growled as he drew his sword and began cutting apart the charts before he kicked the desk through the wall, then a bookshelf that was behind him, he then chopped the bed to pieces and kicked them out of the room. Arlong was furious as Luffy was destroying Nami’s work, while unknown to them said orange haired girl was crying and thanking Luffy, and lunged at Luffy who slammed his fist into Arlong’s gut getting him to cough up blood before Luffy held Arlong by the throat with his left hand and Arlong saw the same eyes Momoo saw and understood why the Seaking had run: There was no victory to have against this man and Arlong was seeing his death in multiple ways and each was more painful and horrific than the last, <strong>“Time to finish you off.”</strong></p><p>Luffy stated and Arlong began struggling trying to get free and even hitting Luffy but nothing was working. Luffy gripped Arlong tight, sheathed his sword, and lifted Arlong up before he jumped and slammed him through the ceiling/roof and stood on top of Arlong Park and his right arm glowed Sapphire as dark clouds formed before Luffy uppercutted Arlong into the air. Luffy looked at him for a moment before he leapt after him and went high above him as the clouds boomed with thunder as Luffy’s arm glowed brighter. Luffy cocked his fist back as Arlong plead for his life before Luffy slammed his fist into Arlong’s chest with a loud sonic boom echoing out and blood came from Arlong’s mouth as Luffy left an imprint of his fist in Arlong’s chest. Luffy’s arm glowed again and he dive bombed Arlong and slammed into him before smashing through all of Arlong Park bringing the whole building down.</p><p>Everyone covered their eyes as debris went flying out and Nami was concerned for Luffy and Nojiko had to hold her back while Makino held onto Luffy’s hat to keep it from blowing away. When the dust cleared, there were only ruins in sight; they figured the Fishmen bodies got blown away from the shockwave when Luffy collided with the ground. Nami started panicking looking for Luffy before some cracking and crashing noises were heard. A few moments later, Luffy broke out of the rubble with him popping his neck while everyone was wondering if he was ok before he jabbed his hand into the rubble and grabbed hold of something before he proceeded to drag it down the pile of rubble, “Nami come here.”</p><p>Luffy stated and Nami approached before Luffy tossed what he was dragging and Nami widened her eyes to see Arlong, but he was mangled almost beyond recognition and his chest was caved in completely with his face being barely recognizable, “You’re free Nami and you’re still a member of our crew.” He stated before leaning in slightly, “And one of my girlfriends.”</p><p>He whispered before kissing her cheek causing her to blush before she hugged him tightly saying thank you repeatedly while the townspeople were in shock at being free. Luffy broke the hug after kissing Nami’s forehead and walked back towards the group. However they were interrupted by Nezumi, “Shishi, I thank you for getting rid of Arlong. Now all the treasure is all mi- URK!”</p><p>He started to say before a blade pierced through his chest with Luffy standing behind him, “I believe I told you to leave or I would kill you. Now, you pay up.”</p><p>Luffy stated before bringing his sword up and out and then cut his head off, both halves. Luffy turned towards the rest of the Marines and released his Killing Intent causing everyone to struggle to breathe and a few Marines to die from their hearts failing, “Leave before I kill you too.”</p><p>Luffy stated and the men stiffened before taking off as fast as they could. Luffy reigned in his Killing Intent and turned to the others, “Well, what are you waiting for? YOUR FREE!”</p><p>He asked before shouting and the townspeople woke up and began cheering before taking off to tell the others that Arlong was gone and never coming back.</p><p>
  <em>That Night</em>
</p><p>The moment the rest of the Islanders heard the news, a large party broke out and people were having fun. Zoro was drinking, which he needed after the doctor stitched him up with Kaya helping as she needed to know how to remove and change the stitches if needed; Sabo was eating and chatting, Makino was dancing, Sanji was flirting with the village girls, Usopp was trying to impress people, Gin was relaxing with Zoro, and Nami was getting her tattoo removed and getting a new one, again with Kaya helping the doctor. However, Makino, Nami, and Nojiko were wondering where Luffy went.</p><p>Said Captain was walking towards a cliff side as he felt that something was calling him and found Genzo there pouring alcohol on a tombstone. Luffy walked up and removed his hat, “My condolences.”</p><p>Luffy stated and Genzo nodded, “Thank you, she was Nami and Nojiko’s adoptive mother and a woman I loved but never had the heart to tell.”</p><p>Genzo stated and Luffy nodded before feeling his right arm pulse and frowned before he managed to step on the other side of the tombstone and found a symbol painted in blood on the back. Widening his eyes, Luffy bit his thumb and placed his hand against the symbol before light engulfed him.</p><p>Luffy opened his eyes to see white all around him, “Welcome Luffy.”</p><p>Luffy heard and turned before he smiled seeing who it was, “Hey dad.”</p><p>Luffy stated before giving his surrogate father a hug and Damon chuckled, “Good to see I was right in my hunch about you coming to Cocoyashi.”</p><p>Damon stated and Luffy nodded, “Yeah, my navigator/second girlfriend lived here, but why was a glyph on her mother’s tombstone?”</p><p>He asked and Damon nodded with a sigh as he rubbed his eyes, “I was unable to save Bell-mère during my time around the world, but I was able to put a preservation glyph on her before they buried her so you could change things.”</p><p>He stated and Luffy widened his eyes, “But, dad, I haven’t unlocked that affinity yet and you said you couldn’t give me it.”</p><p>He stated and Damon nodded with a smirk, “Right, I can’t give you it but I can begin the process of you unlocking it by filling your body with some of the energy our bodies naturally make when we possess the affinity. By doing this you will unlock it sooner than normal and I don’t violate the laws. Plus, you can make that old soldier and your girlfriend happy.”</p><p>Damon stated and Luffy widened his eyes before grinning, “That’s sneaky, dad.”</p><p>He stated with the grin still in place and Damon smirked, “Thanks, also I put these glyphs in other areas but you will have to find them. Now, should we begin?”</p><p>Damon informed then asked and Luffy nodded before Damon created a sphere of energy and put it into Luffy, “When the energy is used, it is going to tire you out so be sure you don’t push it and there may be some side effects.”</p><p>Was the last thing Luffy heard before he opened his eyes to see Genzo looking at him in concern, “Luffy, are you alright? You blacked out after that light hit you.”</p><p>Genzo stated as he didn’t want their savior to die and Luffy nodded, “I’m alright, but I need you to do something for me and let me do something.”</p><p>He stated and Genzo nodded, “Of course, what is it?”</p><p>Genzo asked and Luffy took a breath, “I need you to bring Nami and Nojiko along with a shovel and I need you to let me dig up Bell-mère.” He stated before holding his hand up to stop Genzo’s reaction, “Please, you’ve trusted me so far. Trust me now.”</p><p>Luffy stated and Genzo paused before nodding, “Fine, but if you desecrate her grave I will kill you.” He threatened and Luffy nodded before Genzo left to do as asked.</p><p>A few minutes later, Luffy stood before Nami, Nojiko, and Genzo as he took the shovel and dug up Bell-mère’s coffin and when he opened it, the three others were shocked to see her not be any different than the day she died. In fact, if not for the fact they knew she was dead, they would have thought she was just sleeping. Luffy placed his hand over her and took a breath before his arm glowed a rainbow of colors while a lime green overcoat appeared as well, “Restoration of the soul.”</p><p>Luffy mumbled before the glow went down his arm and condensed into a ball before Luffy pushed it into Bell-mère’s chest. Once the ball was completely pushed in, Luffy turned sideways and coughed up a little blood and Nami was next to him, “Luffy! Are you ok?”</p><p>She asked worried as Genzo and Nojiko were paying attention to him and he looked up at her and smiled before pointing towards the coffin. The three turned and widened their eyes in shock as tears began to form in their eyes. The reason? Well Bell-mère’s supposed corpse was stirring before she groaned and opened her eyes and sat up, “Wha-what happened?”</p><p>She asked before she was tackled in a dual hug, “BELL- MÈRE!!!”</p><p>She heard from two voices before looking down and widened her eyes in shock as she saw an older Nami and Nojiko, “Nami? Nojiko? I-I’m alive?!?”</p><p>She asked with shock in her voice and Nami and Nojiko cried as they held her, “Yes Bell-mère, you’re alive.”</p><p>They stated and Bell-mère hugged her daughters as she got another chance to be alive. Genzo walked forward and smiled, “It’s good to have you back.”</p><p>He stated and Bell-mère looked at him and smiled, “Good to be back Genzo, but how am I here?”</p><p>She asked and Genzo smiled and pointed to her right and she saw Luffy there breathing hard and he smiled before removing his hat, “Nice to meet you, Bell-mère, I’m Luffy.”</p><p>He stated before he shakily stood only to have to sit back down and Nami nodded into her mother’s chest, “Bell-mère, he defeated Arlong and his crew by himself and freed us.”</p><p>Nami informed getting a shocked expression from Bell-mère and Luffy grinned, “I told you Nami, no one messes with my family, let alone one of my girlfriends.”</p><p>He stated and Bell-mère and Genzo widened their eyes and Nami smirked, “I’ll tell you later. I’m just glad you’re back, mom.”</p><p>She stated and Bell-mère widened her eyes as Nami never called her that and she smiled and hugged them before she stood and walked over to Luffy. She stared at him for a moment before she knelt and hugged him, “Thank you for this Luffy.” She stated before going to his ear, “And take care of her for me if she decides to go.”</p><p>She stated and whispered and Luffy smiled and nodded, “Of course, no one is allowed to harm my family, which counts you and Genzo since you are precious to Nami, and gets away with it while I’m alive.”</p><p>Luffy stated before he shakily stood and smiled at Nami, “We’ll be hanging around here for a while so take your time and decide whatever you need to.” He stated and she nodded before he turned to Genzo, “If you don’t mind, before we go I would like to talk to you and any other leaders of the Island to discuss something.”</p><p>He stated and Genzo raised an eyebrow before nodding and Luffy returned it, “Well, I’ll get back to the party. See you guys later.” He stated but when he passed Genzo he paused and whispered, “You got your second chance, don’t waste it. I can tell from her look she loves you too, so stop being a chicken and tell her.”</p><p>Genzo straightened slightly before giving a brief nod as Luffy walked back to town, but when he was out of ear shot from Nami and the others he stated, “I’m sorry Robin, but I don’t think I can do the same for you. I can however promise that nothing like that will happen again if you wish to put your trust in me.”</p><p>He stated and an ear and eye that were on a tree vanished as Robin teared up slightly as she sat on Banchi and hoped Luffy could back up those words. Luffy made it back to his group and sat down and ate before turning to Sabo, “Tomorrow, bring the ship around to that ship graveyard that the villagers were talking about earlier. I’ll work on the Going Merry and then we can use what’s left to help rebuild Gosa Village.”</p><p>Luffy stated and Sabo nodded while noticing the tired look on Luffy’s face, but kept quiet about it due to trusting Luffy to say what was wrong when he was ready. Naturally the others heard this and thought they would be helping but Luffy turned towards them, “Zoro, after Sabo brings the ship around, he’s gonna train with you to help you get better at dodging and blocking against an opponent faster than you.”</p><p>Luffy informed and Zoro raised his eyebrows before nodding as Luffy turned to Kaya, “Kaya, you’re gonna work with Gin because I think I have a pair of weapons for you and Gin can help you with learning to wield two weapons and get comfortable with them.”</p><p>He stated and Kaya perked up before nodding along with Gin  as Luffy turned to Usopp, “Usopp, you’re going to work with Makino as she has something that your gonna use instead of your slingshot when you need to be serious.”</p><p>Luffy informed and Usopp cocked his head to the side before nodding as he realized using his little slingshot wasn’t going to work as they faced tougher opponents and Luffy then turned to Sanji, “I have something special for you Sanji and it should be in your wheelhouse when you start it.”</p><p>Luffy vaguely stated and Sanji raised an eyebrow but nodded nonetheless before Johnny and Yosaku came up, “Um, Luffy-Aniki, we were wondering if we could join your crew permanently.”</p><p>Johnny stated and Yosaku nodded, “Yeah, we saw how you picked those weaker Fishmen apart with your sword skills and were hoping you could have us as members of the crew and help us get strong enough to pull our weight.”</p><p>Yosaku stated and Johnny nodded while Luffy blinked before nodding, “Sure, but be prepared to work hard as I think the start of your training will work like Sanji’s.”</p><p>He informed and the two saluted, “Hai, Captain-Aniki!”</p><p>They stated and Luffy chuckled, “Well as Captain I order everyone to have fun.”</p><p>He stated and the crew all rose mugs in the air in a toast before they began to party with the villagers.</p><p>
  <em>Next day: Arlong’s ship graveyard.</em>
</p><p>As Luffy ordered, Sabo brought the Going Merry to the graveyard and Luffy set his coat and hat down as he looked over everything and got things ready before his crew came up. Sabo and Zoro walked off a ways to get more room, Makino and Usopp walked off to an area that they assumed the water spitting Fishman used for practice, and the others stood in front of Luffy and waited. Luffy went to the ship before coming back with a trunk and rummaged through it before handing Kaya a pair of wooden Kama, “Get used to these so you don’t hurt yourself.”</p><p>He stated and Kaya took them and twirled them slightly, “Luffy, why these?”</p><p>She asked and Luffy took them and twirled them, “They require precision and skill to use as well as a steady hand, all of which you will need to be a doctor. Plus, they aren’t purely lethal weapons as you can catch with the blades and knock an opponent off their feet instead of killing them or you can strike areas that aren’t fatal but slow or weaken an opponent.”</p><p>He stated as he gave them back and Kaya nodded before walking off with Gin while the other three stood in front of Luffy before he tossed Sanji some greaves that he struggled to hold and Luffy tossed Yosaku and Johnny a pair of greaves and gauntlets, “Wear those, Sanji do some laps at whatever distance you think will give you a workout and Johnny and Yosaku spar in them. Their weighted so it will build your muscles and your speed when you take them off. They’ll also increase as you get used to the weight.”</p><p>Luffy ordered and the three widened their eyes before nodding and putting the items on before Sanji took off on a run and Johnny and Yosaku moved to a better area to spar in. Luffy nodded to himself and began going through the different ships looking for anything he could use for the Going Merry and he also remembered to add the cannons he had taken from Krieg’s ship that were still in working order.</p><p>A few hours later, the survivors of Gosa Village and the members of Cocoyashi Village found Luffy working and half of Gosa Village rebuilt with him working on more of the buildings. They were shocked to see him simply touching the wooden pieces and his arm glowing brown before the wood would repair itself and begin adjusting itself to restore the buildings. The survivors immediately began propping the wreckage together to set it so as Luffy repaired it, it would go to the right area and then they began reinforcing the buildings while others moved with Luffy to help him get the wreckage ready.</p><p>After a few more hours, the village was practically rebuilt and just needed some esthetics to be back to normal. The survivors thanked Luffy who waved it off and went back to ship to finish up his work, while another party went on that night in celebration of Gosa being rebuilt and Sabo had told the crew to go ahead and enjoy the party since Luffy wanted the ship to be a surprise when he was done.</p><p>
  <em>6 days later</em>
</p><p>The days passed quietly and quickly as Nami had been training with Gin in her staff training as he was the closest besides Luffy to staff fighting. Nojiko had taken up being a sharpshooter with Bell-mère giving her some pointers due to her Marine training.  Yosaku and Johnny had been sparring until they couldn’t move and then would join any partying going on to refuel their energy before they would be right back at it the next morning and their weights had already increased twice. Sanji now spent his afternoons between lunch and dinner doing laps around the Island and each day he was getting more laps done and his weights had increased 3 times.</p><p>Zoro had toughened his body by diving to the ocean floor as fast as he could while strapped to a boulder before swimming back to the top when he wasn’t trying to keep up with Sabo, though he was getting better at tracking and trusting his senses to at least block 1/10 of the attacks. Usopp had been given the crossbow that Makino carried after she explained that between it and the regular bow, it was the more sniper of the two and Usopp spent the first day just getting used to the recoil and hitting bullseyes before moving on to hitting moving targets and moving while hitting the target as a pinned down sniper was often one to become a dead sniper.</p><p>Gin had worked with Kaya to the point she didn’t drop the Kama or accidently hit herself and she was starting to get the feel for them. Naturally, Gin and Zoro had asked for weights upon discovering the training Johnny, Yosaku, and Sanji were doing and Sabo had gotten them a set despite Gin’s tonfas weighing a large amount already. Sabo was pleased with his sparring with Zoro as at times it made him have to come to a halt and then change into a new attack or change directions, which was beneficial to him as well as Zoro. Makino had found two friendly rivals in Nojiko and Usopp in the art of hitting targets. While she was easily the more skilled, it only made the other two work harder and it became a game to them.</p><p>Luffy had met with Genzo and those with authority around the village/island, which now included Bell-mère, and offered them to be assimilated into his growing territory and what it implied, while being <strong><em>very</em></strong> clear that it was not the same thing as Arlong. He would protect and provide aid with the treasure and anything else he got along the way and in return they would allow them to stay and stock up on supplies as they needed and set trade with his other territories. They had deliberated for 3 days before agreeing and now the two villages and what remained of Arlong park, which was being rebuilt to be an armory/fort in case of emergencies, flew Luffy’s Jolly Roger.</p><p>Now though, the crew and villagers were waiting at the dock to the village for Luffy to arrive with the ship. They didn’t have to wait long before Usopp began gaping and Kaya was concerned before Usopp grabbed her chin and turned her head in the direction he was looking and she began gaping and then everyone turned and gaped.</p><p>Sailing towards them was a larger ship than the last time they saw it that was black with crimson, silver, and white designs on it with the majority being black. It was the size of a Brig with two large masts each with a crow’s nest and platform and two strange pulley like items attached to both masts, the ram head was still at the front but seemed more pronounced, the deck had cannons and other items on the deck and there were clear slots at the front and both sides of the ship for more cannons. The sails and flag had the Strawhat Jolly Roger on them and Luffy was at the Helm with a smirk on his face. Essentially, it looked like a Brig that was outfitted like a Frigate.</p><p>Luffy pulled up and moored at the dock before he jumped down with a smirk, “Impressive isn’t it?”</p><p>He asked and the crowd nodded numbly and Luffy chuckled, “Plenty of fire power and I found a treasure among the wrecks, a Seastone base.” He stated before seeing a lot of confused looks and Luffy chuckled, “It’s a stone that mimics the flow and energy of the sea thus making it so Sea Kings can’t find you if you were to sail into the calm belt.”</p><p>He stated and people widened their eyes at that, “Get some rest guys and finish up any business you still have, tomorrow we’re sailing and there shouldn’t be anything left undone since we don’t know when we may be coming back.”</p><p>He stated as he walked off towards the woods, “Luffy-kun?”</p><p>Makino spoke up and Luffy simply raised his right arm and kept walking with Makino nodding as that was a silent signal that he was going to train in his affinities for a while. Makino then climbed onto the ship to explore the changes Luffy made to the ship. She already knew she would be bunking with him in the Captain’s cabin as they slept together, not sexually, every night, but wanted to see if he made any other major changes. The rest of the crew decided to check it out too while Nami and Nojiko talked with Bell-mère and Genzo, who had begun dating, about them going and how they would try to keep in touch since Luffy found a Den Den Mushi on Krieg’s ship that still worked.</p><p>Robin, of course, was impressed with the ship as she saw Luffy sail it to the dock and was curious to what he was doing now that he was walking to the woods. She used her powers to make an eye and ear appear and saw him there with his shirt off causing her to blush. When she could focus again, she saw he had different dinosaur tattoos on his back and a tree on his chest. However, she was then surprised by the tattoos glowing as wind, earth, wood, water from the ground, and stones began circling Luffy who seemed to be focusing as storm clouds gathered overhead and thunder sounded. The surprising thing, beyond the obvious, was that the circling items were moving to nothing and the thunder was booming in time with his right hand flexing his fingers.</p><p>She noticed that as he did this, the rings seemed to glow brighter, which she assumed meant his control was building, and more of the affinity would gather around him. Luffy then flexed his arms and the earth shot out like a hail of bullets, the stone went out like bombs, the water went out like cannonballs, the wood went out like needles, the wind went out like blades, and the thunder went out like a blast. When things died down, and he moved slightly, she noticed his left arm now had an Octopus on it and she frowned since it wasn’t there during the fight against Arlong and he hadn’t been with a tattoo specialist since, so where did he get it?</p><p>She chuckled to herself slightly as Luffy just kept getting more and more interesting and her archeologist nature was making her want to learn more about him and what made him tick, so to speak.</p><p>
  <em>Next day: Docks</em>
</p><p>Luffy and company were prepping the ship for sail with Luffy attaching one of the Tangerine trees to the ship via his wood affinity, which got him a very nice thank you kiss from Nami, and were loading the supplies Luffy bought from the village. Nojiko had asked to come along and Luffy had accepted and knew the reason why as the moment he said yes she went to Makino and Nami and talked quietly while doing so. The villagers were all seeing them off with Bell-mère holding Genzo’s arm and laying her head on his shoulder.</p><p>The talk of the crowd was that Nami gave them all 100,000,000 Beri for them under the excuse she would either steal more or Luffy would earn it somehow and they were fine financially according to Luffy and there were always plenty of opportunities for Pirates to make money including raiding other Pirates.</p><p>Luffy had explained a few things to his crew including the lift up to the Crow’s Nests that worked like an advanced pulley system. He also showed them the quarters were larger than before so they had more breathing room and that the lower deck was both a storage area and training area when the upper deck was too crowded to be used by everyone.</p><p>Once everything was said and done, they set sail again and immediately Usopp went to practicing with his new crossbow on targets, Zoro went to the lower deck with Yosaku and Johnny to practice, Kaya began practicing throwing senbon needles as Luffy wanted her to have a long range attack and the needles required accuracy and precision. Gin was doing pushups and sit ups to get used to his new weights more, Sanji was making lunch, Makino was helping Usopp while practicing herself, Sabo was up on one of the Crow’s Nests keeping an eye out for anything, Nami was talking with Nojiko while making sure the ship stayed on course, and Luffy was at the Helm making sure he went the direction Nami indicated.</p><p>A few days later, and a bit of a complaint as Luffy gave Nami, Nojiko, and Kaya some weights that were a bit more stylish, and everyone was having a relaxing day as Luffy made it clear they were not to train everyday so their bodies could rest and adjust. Zoro was napping, Gin was just looking at the clouds, Sabo was relaxing up in the Crow’s Nest, Sanji was making snacks, Usopp was talking with Kaya, Makino was laying her head on Luffy’s shoulder as he steered, Johnny and Yosaku were cleaning and sharpening their blades, and Nami and Nojiko were sitting on some chairs relaxing while Nami was complaining at a bird for raising the price of a newspaper again.</p><p>When she began reading, a paper slid out and Luffy noticed it and looked at it before his eyes widened and he started laughing. Makino went over and looked it over before her eyes widened and she began giggling. Wondering what was going on, the others, counting an awakened Zoro and a food carrying Sanji, came over and looked at it. They saw it was a wanted poster and their eyes widened as they saw who it was of and what the bounty was.</p><p>
  <em>Marine HQ</em>
</p><p>“While he is relatively new to the seas and only just started, he has already brought down a few of the most dangerous pirates the East Blue has with little to no difficulty. Count in the fact he not only openly attacked Marines, killed a Captain, and has even claimed some islands as his territory makes him a potential threat in the making and needs to be addressed immediately. While this is higher than any other first timer in a long time, and is nearly unprecedented in the size for a first bounty, we believe this amount is needed to ensure everyone is aware of his potential for danger.”</p><p>A veteran Marine stated as the others began to nod and another addressed a courtyard of Marines about seeking absolute justice on those who would defy the government.</p><p>
  <em>On Luffy’s Islands</em>
</p><p>The residents under the protection of the Strawhat Pirates were shocked at the bounty put on Luffy’s head but celebrated anyway as it would show any wannabe pirates that their guardian was not someone to mess with and raised their glasses and mugs to their guardian pirate, which still sounded strange to them.</p><p>
  <em>Back with the Strawhats</em>
</p><p>Luffy was laughing as Sabo checked out the poster, “For crimes of Piracy, anarchy, sedition, assault of Marine soldiers, murder of a Marine Captain, and destruction of Government property. Monkey D. Luffy is wanted for 95,000,000 Beri and is to be brought in Dead or Alive.”</p><p>He read while chuckling with the poster showing Luffy looking extremely pissed off with his sword through Nezumi’s chest and Nezumi having a look of horror on his face. The men of the crew all felt that the bounty was actually low for what Luffy had done, though they assumed it was partly due to the Marines not knowing he matched Hawkeye in a fight or that he beat Kuro, while Makino was happy for Luffy since what is a pirate without a bounty? Nami, Nojiko, and Kaya were a little concerned about potential threats.</p><p>Luffy finally regained himself, “That is great, but it’s only gonna get higher from here on out.”</p><p>He stated happily and Nami gave a sigh and shook her head, “Anyway, we have one last potential stop before we reach the Grand Line. It’s called Loguetown, the place where the Pirate King was born and executed.”</p><p>Nami stated and Luffy grinned, “Sounds fun, let’s head there.” He stated and Nami giggled and nodded before having him adjust the course accordingly.</p><p>Robin for her part was shocked at Luffy’s bounty as it exceeded even hers for what she supposedly did as a child, but thinking on it; Luffy could be viewed as more dangerous than her or the revolutionary named Dragon since she had the potential to learn information the government wanted buried and Dragon just destroyed government presences and then moved on, but Luffy was claiming the territory and forging his own area of the world and could begin to match the government’s power if left unchecked. Robin smiled slightly as Luffy was getting to the point she could trust him if the time came.</p><p>
  <em>Unknown Location</em>
</p><p>Sitting at a table, Ace was laughing his head off at what he was seeing getting the attention of the crew and his Captain that he was with, “What’s so funny Ace?”</p><p>Asked a large man with a white mustache and a bandanna on his head and Ace reigned himself in before showing him the poster, “<em>That’s</em> my little brother, pops, seems like he’s tougher than I thought.”</p><p>Ace stated and the man widened his eyes, “95 million as his first bounty? Heh, heh, HAHAHAHAHA, A SNOT NOSED BRAT LIKE THAT IS GONNA BRING A LOT OF FUN TO THE GRAND LINE, I CAN TELL!!!”</p><p>The man laughed as the other crew members gaped as that had to be some kind of record for a first bounty. Ace just laughed too as his little brother was just full of surprises and fun. However, Ace didn’t forget a warning Damon had given him and he kept a hard eye on the man he was warned of and even told some of the other officers about it just to be on the safe side.</p><p>
  <em>Unknown Island</em>
</p><p>Hawkeye was walking on an island causing the lookouts of a certain pirate crew to run and tell their boss what was happening, “So Hawkeye, are you here to take my head?”</p><p>Asked a man, whom one would assume was the boss, and Hawkeye snorted before taking out a poster, “No, I don’t hunt down cripples. I am actually here because I recalled a story you told about a young boy and a strawhat.”</p><p>He stated as he showed the poster and the man and crew widened their eyes before the boss chuckled, “So, you finally started your journey Luffy and you grew into a fine young man too. Alright lads! Get the grog; we got a celebration to have for our young friend!”</p><p>He stated and the crew all cheered as a messenger bird came and dropped off a note and the boss read it, <em>Hey Shanks, I got a Den Den Mushi and decided to send you the frequency in case you wanted to talk. Hope to hear from you, The Future Pirate King: Monkey D Luffy.</em></p><p>It read and the now identified Shanks laughed, “Ah that kid is a bloke after my own heart.”</p><p>He laughed before he began partying with his crew and reluctant guest.</p><p>
  <em>With Luffy and Company</em>
</p><p>The crew anchored at the docks of the famous Loguetown and they were all anxious to see what the town had to offer. Johnny, Yosaku, and Zoro were going to the sword shop; Sanji was going for food; Usopp and Kaya were going for supplies; Gin was going to go look at a weapons or munitions shop to see if there was anything at all that could be useful whether for himself or the crew; Nami, Makino, and Nojiko were going clothes shopping; Sabo was going to stay on the ship; and Luffy was going to see the execution platform.</p><p>Luffy walked along for a time not really paying attention to anyone even if people were paying attention to him as he walked before he got stopped by two large men with swords, “Hey you, that sword looks pretty nice, give it here or you’re gonna regret it.”</p><p>One of them stated as they took their swords out and a woman was about to interfere before in a flash Luffy drew his sword and shattered theirs. Everyone gaped and the two men sweated before they took off running. Luffy twirled his blade before resting it on his shoulder while the woman, who wore pants and a jacket that were purple and had glasses was in awe of his blade, “This blade is amazing, what’s its name? Where did you get it? How did you get it?”</p><p>She asked as she kept gazing at the blade and Luffy blinked, “In order, it’s called Starscream, I made it so I kept it, and I just answered the third question.”</p><p>Luffy stated before he sheathed the blade and walked off with the woman gaping at him for making such a high quality sword. Luffy kept walking towards the center of town where a barkeep told him the execution platform was located.</p><p>
  <em>With Nami, Nojiko, and Makino</em>
</p><p>The three girls were trying on clothing with Nami and Nojiko being extravagant and Makino’s being sexier and showing her body, meaning bikinis, tight dresses, lingerie, and other garment she could have fun with Luffy in, “Makino-chan, why only those type of clothes?”</p><p>Nojiko asked and Makino smirked, “I like simple clothes, but I want some clothes for Luffy’s eyes only and it has certain… advantages to wearing them when I am with Luffy.”</p><p>She stated and Nami blushed and began to look for similar wear for herself and Nojiko blushed bringing up a topic she wanted to discuss, “So, Makino-chan, about Luffy. I was, um, I um, I was wondering if you would, I mean if you would possibly, that is if I could date Luffy too?”</p><p>She stammered and then squeaked quietly and Makino looked at her hard with an unreadable expression on her face before she smirked, “Sure, but you have to ask Nami-chan too and you have to be willing to spend ‘quality’ time with any girl Luffy is with.”</p><p>She stated and Nojiko and Nami blushed as Nami avoided eye contact with her sister, “Nojiko can be with Luffy, though it’s going to be hard to move onto that other thing though.”</p><p>Nami stated and Nojiko nodded, “I-I guess if we are eased into it, then maybe possibly that could be fine. Down the road I mean.”</p><p>She stated and Makino nodded with a smile, “Good, then let’s find something for you too Noji-chan.” She stated and Nojiko blushed at the name and the potential clothes.</p><p>
  <em>With Zoro, Johnny, and Yosaku</em>
</p><p>Zoro and his two friends were walking along looking for anything of note before they came upon a woman taking down two large guys before falling clumsily. The three kept walking and began looking for a sword store and found one and entered though Zoro was annoyed the man was attempting to take his sword and had the gall to think that he didn’t know how much it was worth. Admittedly, Zoro didn’t know until Luffy told him as neither his best friend nor her father had ever mentioned it. The shop owner was stopped when the woman came in talking about the blade and Zoro shrugged and began looking through a bin of low cost swords.</p><p>Why he was doing this, he didn’t know as he had plenty of money from what Luffy gave them to shop, but he felt something calling him from there and he decided to look through it while idly paying attention to the woman talking about collecting the high quality blades on the seas before he grabbed one blade and narrowed his eyes.</p><p>Meanwhile, Wado was interested as it sensed two blades that would work well with it inside the shop and was curious to who they were. Kitetsu III was bored before the man carrying one of the stronger blades came in and Kitetsu was intrigued as it could feel his skill the moment he entered and wanted him to wield it. Yubashiri felt that it was somehow being so bored that it was causing itself to rust from the lack of time it was even removed from its sheath. It had sensed a competent wielder enter the shop, but more than likely it wouldn’t be chosen due to the price it had.</p><p>Back with Zoro, he idly listened to the woman talk while he drew and swung the sword a bit and could feel its bloodlust and desire for combat flowing from the blade and muttered, “It’s cursed.”</p><p>Zoro stated surprising the four people in the shop while Johnny and Yosaku kept looking for blades that Luffy said would match them better. Zoro idly noticed the shop keeper asking him about it and Zoro shook his head slightly, “No, I just… do.”</p><p>He stated while only idly listening to the owner go on about it being cursed and killing anyone who wielded it. Zoro smirked and declared he would take it while the shop keeper sputtered about not letting him and Zoro grinned as he held the blade up, “Well, let’s see which is stronger, the blade’s curse or my swordsman spirit.”</p><p>He stated before tossing the blade into the air and stuck his arm out and Johnny and Yosaku smirked as the blade came down while the owner and the woman were horrified. Kitetsu was scared; it didn’t want to cut the swordsman that could wield it and wanted to ensure he wasn’t harmed. With that in mind, so to speak, it willed itself around his arm and impaled itself into the ground by his foot.</p><p>Kitetsu was ecstatic that it didn’t harm the man and he was going to buy it and was also pleased when the owner went and took another sword that would work well with it and the other blade its new master used. Yubashiri was surprised when the owner took it out and brought it to a swordsman that had two blades that seemed polar opposites as one was calm and calculating and the other was wild and reckless. It could agree with this person as it was whatever its master needed it to be.</p><p>Zoro happily accepted the man’s offer to let him have both blades free while Yosaku and Johnny got their own blades. Johnny took a Nodachi in a black sheath with a gold handle and pommel and Yosaku had taken a rare weapon called a Khanda as his that was in a blood red sheath and had an ornate silver handle and guard. They chose these as Luffy recommended they get weapons that matched their inherent skills as Johnny was the faster of the two swordsmen but Yosaku had more power in his strikes than Johnny. Thus, Johnny got a longer lighter blade and Yosaku took a heavier, if shorter, blade that could take a beating and allow him to deliver powerful hits.</p><p>The three walked out satisfied with their purchases since Johnny and Yosaku knew they weren’t good enough, yet, to have more powerful/skilled weapons as they were still building their abilities.</p><p>
  <em>With Gin</em>
</p><p>Gin had found an armament store and used the money he got to buy some rifles, grenades, pistols, blunderbusses, powder, rounds, and a few other things that could prove useful and used a scroll from Luffy to hold it all including some items that Luffy requested that confused him, but he wasn’t going to disobey his new Captain’s orders and left the shop to head for the town square where the shop keeper said the platform was at.</p><p>
  <em>With Sanji</em>
</p><p>The cook of the Strawhats was currently shopping and actually having the time of his life as Luffy gave him some kind of scroll that held the items Sanji wanted and apparently would keep them as fresh as when he placed them in the scroll. However, his attention was caught by a monster sized fish called an Elephant Fish and decided to enter the competition for it as it would be fun and worth it.</p><p>
  <em>With Usopp and Kaya</em>
</p><p>The two were having a fun time with their shopping as Kaya got medical supplies and larger than normal needles to use, while Usopp had gotten parts, repair kits, and some supplies he could use to make specialized bolts and arrows as Luffy told him he could help create some ammo that could help even things in a larger firefight.</p><p>They had made it to the Market area just in time to see Sanji face off against a woman in the finals of a cooking competition and won before they began walking around with Sanji to find the others.</p><p>
  <em>With Luffy</em>
</p><p>Luffy was sitting on top of the execution platform looking out over the square as people began noticing him and some Marine demanded he get down before he was smacked aside by a large Iron Mace. Luffy looked down as the female figure smirked, “So nice to see you again, Luffy-kun.”</p><p>The woman stated as she tossed her cloak away revealing a thin and hot body of a woman with long black hair wearing a bikini top, cowboy hat, long purple coat, small heeled sandals, and striped pants with a shirt tied around her waist. Luffy blinked before whistling appreciatively, “Nice to see the real you, Alvida.”</p><p>He stated and Alvida blushed and smiled, “Well after I ate the Slip Slip fruit, it wasn’t hard to get to a natural figure and I was happy to try and find you again handsome.”</p><p>She stated and Luffy smirked, “You know you have to ask my girlfriend first before anything can happen?” He asked and she frowned before he chuckled, “Don’t worry, she doesn’t mind sharing.”</p><p>He stated and she perked up slightly before Luffy was pinned down by Cabaji before Buggy showed himself, “Oh, hey Buggy.”</p><p>Luffy stated as he saw Buggy and clown growled, “Don’t get friendly with me, you idiot!”</p><p>He screamed as he climbed the platform as Cabaji jumped down. Buggy prepared to kill Luffy, however Alvida began attacking the pirates as Gin, Sanji, and Zoro charged to save Luffy while Johnny, Yosaku, Usopp, and the girls went to get everything back to the ship and get it ready since Nami felt a powerful storm coming and moved to get ready to leave. Buggy however was upset with Alvida, “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING ALVIDA?!?!?”</p><p>He screamed and Alvida frowned, “You idiot, I said I wanted to find Luffy and get him, not kill him.”</p><p>She stated as several men in the crowd broke down and cried at the realization she wanted Luffy as her boyfriend and Alvida continued smacking aside the Buggy Pirates to get to Luffy though she was getting pushed back slightly and it was pissing her off.</p><p>Buggy growled and began to bring the sword down on Luffy, while unknown to them the Captain of the Marines of Loguetown was watching and waiting to give the signal to attack. However he was surprised by what happened next, “Hehehe, sorry guys, looks like I’m done.”</p><p>Luffy stated as the Captain gaped, <em>“He laughed!”</em></p><p>He thought before lightning crashed down on the platform and struck Buggy directly. Luffy stood and dusted himself off and Sanji turned to his fellow crew members, “Do you believe in a higher power?”</p><p>He asked before Luffy caught Alvida as she jumped him in a hug. Luffy laughed and set her down, “Come on, before the Marines try to catch us.”</p><p>He ordered and the group nodded and they took off through the town while the Captain, which a Marine identified as Smoker, went after them after trapping Buggy. Luffy frowned as they saw the woman from before blocking their path and Zoro stopped to fight her and she swung her sword at him which he blocked easily with his Wado and pushed her back, “You’ll pay for making a fool out of me!”</p><p>She stated and Zoro raised an eyebrow at her, “What did I do? I told you I was familiar with the name, but never said I wasn’t Roronoa Zoro and besides, you never asked for my name so I didn’t do anything wrong and you shouldn’t have been naïve enough to talk so casually without even learning someone’s name.”</p><p>He stated and the woman, who a Marine called Tashigi, stumbled for a minute with a blush of embarrassment on her face before Zoro smacked the sword from her and pinned her to the wall before walking away leaving her enraged, “Why didn’t you kill me? Is it because I’m a woman?”</p><p>She asked and Zoro paused, if Luffy hadn’t taught him to keep his cool then he may have blown up at her for reminding him of his friend but he just calmly turned towards her and looked in her eyes, “No, I want to see what your limits are. Find me again and we can fight, but I want to see improvement. Oh, and drop the shaky act, it doesn’t work on a real swordsman.”</p><p>He stated leaving her shocked as he took off after his crewmates. Luffy and them were running as Zoro managed to catch up before a pillar of smoke came and blocked their path as rain began to fall. Luffy frowned and waved his crew to go on as the pillar condensed into Smoker. Smoker didn’t react to the crew leaving and just looked to Luffy, who drew his blade and Smoker smirked, “If you think that will work, then…”</p><p>He was cut off as Luffy swung his blade and Smoker found his cheek bleeding and he widened his eyes as Luffy frowned, “Take this seriously or you’ll end up dead. I am a breed above those you’ve taken down so far.”</p><p>Luffy stated and Smoker frowned before he drew his Jutte from his back and charged Luffy.</p><p>
  <em>At the Going Merry</em>
</p><p>Sabo sat on the on the ship with the weird guy and Lion from the Buggy Pirates unconscious on the ground while the others began loading the ship. However, they were interrupted by a group of Marines trying to stop them. Johnny and Yosaku decided to test their new blades and leapt into the fray. Johnny moved faster than they could counter while Yosaku struck hard enough that they couldn’t hold a block or he cleaved through their swords.</p><p>Within a few minutes, the Marines were all down and the others had caught up and were preparing the ship to sail, “What about Luffy?”</p><p>Alvida asked and the crew kept preparing, “He’ll be here. Just help us get everything ready.”</p><p>Makino stated and Alvida nodded and began helping.</p><p>
  <em>Back with Luffy</em>
</p><p>Luffy blocked another strike from Smoker, who had small cuts and bruises all over him and his coat was shredded. Luffy kicked him back sending him into a building, “You’re not half bad Smoker, but you’re not skilled enough to handle me. Come find me when you want to try again.”</p><p>Luffy stated before he axe kicked Smoker into the ground knocking him out. Luffy then sheathed his sword and turned to a hooded figure, whose face was revealed with a strike of lightning, and Luffy blinked at seeing his father: Monkey D. Dragon the world revolutionary, “Hello father.”</p><p>Luffy stated and the now identified Dragon blinked in surprise, “Yeah, I know who you are and while I do count you as my father, you’re not my dad.”</p><p>He stated getting Dragon to widen his eyes, “I understand and respect that you are my father, but you never raised me, you never visited even when the Grey Terminal incident was going on, and you never made any attempt to contact me except now since I’m getting the government’s attention. While I can see that there were some circumstances such as wanting the government to be ignorant of my existence, you are a fool if you believe that as they would have tracked you just for being Grandpa Garp’s son. So, like I said, I acknowledge that you are my father and I don’t hate you, but you’re not my dad and you have a long way to go before I can count you as such.”</p><p>Luffy stated and Dragon sighed and nodded, “Fair enough, at least you don’t hate me and had someone to watch over you. I won’t try to justify anything to you, but I do want to help you.”</p><p>He stated and another cloaked figure appeared, “This is Koala and she was part of the Fishmen Pirates once upon a time and is an expert in Fishmen Karate. When she heard who you were and what happened to Arlong, she asked permission to join up with you and I agreed.”</p><p>He stated as the girl removed her cloak showing she was an orange haired girl with an hourglass body, cream skin, sapphire blue eyes, brown heeled boots, black stockings that went to just under her ass, a short frilly red skirt with white frills, a pale pink shirt that strained to contain her chest and showed she wasn’t wearing a bra and had two small black belts just above her waist, burnt orange gloves, and a puffy hat that matched her skirt and a pair of googles sitting on it.</p><p>Luffy shrugged, “Alright, also you should be prepared.”</p><p>He stated and Dragon raised an eyebrow, “For what?”</p><p>He asked and Luffy walked past him, “For war.”</p><p>Luffy stated as he kept walking and Koala blinked before following her new Captain towards his ship and Dragon had a surprised look on his face before he laughed, “A pirate that is the son of a Rebel, the Grandson of a Marine, and has the ideals of both. Luffy you really will become a great man.”</p><p>Dragon stated as Luffy and Koala were running as the storm got worse and they saw the ship being pushed out to sea. Luffy frowned before he picked up Koala and jumped onto some buildings and ran along them before he leapt off and landed on the ship, “Let’s sail, head for the Grand Line.”</p><p>Luffy ordered and his crew smirked as they began obeying while Sabo brought a coat for Koala, who blushed at seeing him and the action before they got the ship all set for the Grand Line and headed for Reverse Mountain, “Sabo, man the Helm.”</p><p>Luffy ordered and Sabo nodded as the rest followed Luffy inside. Luffy then took Nami’s map and laid it out, “Alright as a few of you probably won’t know or believe this, so I am going to just say it: the way to the Great Line is up Reverse Mountain, while we have the option of going through the Calm Belt, there is always the chance one or more Seakings will come up and we can’t fight too many especially if one comes up under the ship.”</p><p>He stated and the crew widened their eyes, “But how do you go about getting up a mountain?”</p><p>Usopp asked and Luffy smirked, “Because of the multiple tides and currents smashing into the Red Line and feeling the pull of the other oceans and the Grand Line. You see the Grand Line works like the opposite of the Moon, instead of pushing water away it pulls in the water towards it and there are four grooves on Reverse Mountain that the water shoots up and then crashes together and flows back down into the Grand Line.”</p><p>He informed and the crew nodded before Luffy spoke again, “Also, this is Alvida and Koala, they’re part of the crew now and you can have time to meet and greet later since we are going to have to focus on getting up the mountain safely.”</p><p>He stated and the group began nodding, “Hey Luffy! We’re getting close, the current’s picking up rapidly!”</p><p>Sabo shouted and Luffy went out and smirked at seeing the Mountain and the waves shooting up it or sinking below due to them being sucked under the Red Line, “Sabo! Aim for the path with the arches. If we’re off by even a foot, we’re dead.”</p><p>Luffy ordered and Sabo nodded before Luffy moved to the bow of the ship to make sure Sabo’s aim was right. The other crew members came up on deck and were in awe of the mountain before seeing the water shooting up a path way and the ship was just small enough to fit the gap. Luffy frowned as the wind became erratic and cursed as the ship moved before he ran and got up the mast quickly with the lift before he raised his arms and his right arm glowed. Luffy closed his eyes and concentrated as the wind began to flow naturally pushing them towards the gates and the water rose and pushed the ship back on course and ensured nothing moved them off of it.</p><p>The crew was in awe of Luffy’s use of the ocean and wind and so was Robin, but Alvida, Nojiko, and Koala were the most surprised as they didn’t know he could control two elements like that and Luffy leapt back down to the deck as he stood at the bow of the ship with a smile on his face, “So this is the wildest ocean in the world, should be plenty of fun.</p><p>Luffy stated as they kept climbing the mountain and Sanji brought a barrel out and put his foot on top of it as he explained it was a tradition/superstition and the others nodded and did the same, “I’m going to find the All Blue” Sanji stated.</p><p>“I’m going to become a Brave Warrior of the Seas” Usopp stated.</p><p>“I’m going to become a world renowned doctor” Kaya stated.</p><p>“I’m gonna make a World Map.” Nami declared,</p><p>“I’m going to see the world and become an expert Sharpshooter” Nojiko stated.</p><p>“I’m gonna have fun and show everyone the real me” Alvida stated with a wink at Luffy.</p><p>“I’m gonna become the first Human master of the Fishmen Karate” Koala stated.</p><p>“I’m gonna become the greatest thief in the world” Sabo stated.</p><p>“I’m going to become greater than Don Krieg” Gin stated.</p><p>“I will become the World’s Greatest swordsmen” Zoro stated.</p><p>“We’re gonna become respectable and elite swordsmen” Johnny and Yosaku stated in unison.</p><p>“I’m gonna explore the world and live my life with Luffy” Makino stated lovingly, while a few of the women wanted to change their answers.</p><p>Luffy smiled, “I’m gonna be King of the Pirates and ensure my crew accomplishes their goals.” Luffy stated before they all raised their legs and smashed the barrel. Luffy then turned and smiled at seeing the ship lift into the air as they reached the peak and came down on the entrance to the Grand Line. The group all cheered before they heard a loud bellowing noise and Luffy cursed, “Sabo, get us as far left as possible.”</p><p>Luffy ordered and Sabo was back at the Helm in a flash and trying to get the ship farther left and everyone then saw why: in front of them was a large black thing coming out of the water and Luffy was using his wind and water affinity to try and dodge it while Sabo was keeping the ship steady, “Zoro! Take the Helm. Sabo, go below and make sure all the guns and openings are closed.”</p><p>He ordered and the two nodded and did as ordered while Luffy was focusing, “We’re good Luffy.”</p><p>Sabo stated as he came up and Luffy nodded before he had a wave crash into them and send them to the side just enough to dodge what they discovered was a whale. Luffy sighed along with the others as they dodged the great beast and moored at a small cliff with a lighthouse on it and they relaxed, “Not five minutes on the Grand Line and the excitement has started already.”</p><p>Sabo stated with a chuckle that Luffy and Zoro shared in along with Makino, while Robin giggled at the event as well. Luffy then looked at the whale as it was staring at him and it bellowed again and Luffy raised an eyebrow before nodding, “Be back in a few minutes.”</p><p>He stated before he climbed the whale and found a hatch of all things there and entered it finding the inside to be metal. A few minutes later, he interrupted two people with bazookas that were going to hurt the whale and Luffy smacked their heads together and threw the Bazooka’s into the liquid below him. Luffy dragged them with him before he entered an area with a small island and house. Luffy whistled loudly, “Hey, whoever is in there, Laboon wants you to know he is gonna stop for now.”</p><p>Luffy yelled and the house’s door opened to show a man with flower petals around his head. The man wiped his glasses slightly before seeing Luffy dragging two troublemakers and sighed before diving into the liquid and climbed a latter that led to Luffy and then led them out, “Hey! What are you doing we need the meat from this whale for our home!”</p><p>The girl Luffy was dragging screamed and Luffy deadpanned at her and the guy she was with, “So your idea was to enter the whale and kill it? Did you even think about the fact that if you killed the whale he would sink to the bottom of the ocean and you would be dead?”</p><p>Luffy asked and the two widened their eyes before laughing nervously and scratched the back of their heads, “That’s what I thought.”</p><p>Luffy stated before they got out and he tossed them on to the cliff and the two immediately jumped into the water and swam off while the flower man introduced himself as Crocus and Luffy froze, “You’re name is Crocus?”</p><p>Luffy asked and Crocus nodded before Luffy grinned and shook his hand, “An honor to meet you sir.”</p><p>He stated and the crew was confused, “Luffy-kun, why is it an honor?”</p><p>Nami asked and Luffy grinned, “Because, you’re looking at the temporary doctor of the Roger Pirates.”</p><p>Luffy stated getting shocked reactions from everyone before they began talking and Sanji cooked the Elephant Fish he won. Crocus idly noticed Laboon being quiet and staring at Luffy causing him to wonder what was going on in his whale friend’s head. Nami then began panicking as the compass wasn’t working, “Relax Nami-chan. Here.”</p><p>Luffy stated as he handed her a compass that was in an orb that attached to her wrist, “This is a Logpose, it’s the compass of the Grand Line since normal compasses won’t work due to the various magnetic fields conflicting with each other. The Logpose locks onto one specific magnetic signature and won’t point to a new one until we reach the island that goes with the signature and wait till it locks onto another island.”</p><p>Luffy informed as he gave a kiss to the forehead and Nami was shocked, “So where did you get it?”</p><p>Nami asked, while blushing at the action, and Luffy smiled, “I got one from Zeff and I took a second from the two we chased off so we have a spare if needed.”</p><p>He stated and Nami hugged him and kissed his cheek in thanks before Crocus threw them another one, “Now you should be fine no matter what.”</p><p>He stated and Luffy nodded his thanks before walking towards Laboon and stood at the edge of the cliff before he smirked and punched Laboon right in the head. Laboon retaliated by swiping his head at Luffy, who blocked and skidded back across the ground. Luffy laughed as Laboon looked at him, “So, we’ll finish this when we come back around from our tour of the Grand Line, and then we’re gonna fight again.”</p><p>Laboon teared up and bellowed loudly as Luffy grinned and, before long, painted his Jolly Roger on Laboon’s head, “There, this is our promise so you better not start smashing your head again or you’ll ruin it.”</p><p>He stated and Laboon bellowed happily as the others ate before the two from earlier came and started asking them to help them get home. Luffy sighed and agreed before they got back on the ship and set sail while Robin was smiling at Luffy doing something strange yet wonderful again and had Banchi begin moving before the vulture and otter gave her a new message and she smiled slightly since she got to follow Luffy and his crew for a bit longer since they were heading to the same place she was in order to fulfill her new mission, Whiskey Peak.</p><p>
  <strong>Done! As you saw, I am improving the ships and yes the Going Merry is sill gonna be replaced later, but with a twist that I have planned that should get everyone happy that want Merry to survive along with those that want the new ship to come in.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Anyway, next time will be Whiskey Peak, something special I have planned, and Little Garden at least. Maybe an extra side adventure of my own design depending on length, but no promises.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Well, that should be it, see y’all next time and I hope to hear from y’all soon.</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Princess, Slaves, and Giants</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luffy and crew have entered the Grand Line, now they have to face some of the threats within it</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Hello people, </strong>
  <strong> this will do the Whiskey Peak arc, something special, and the Little Garden arc. You’ll also see two new crewmates for Luffy, with one being an OC given to me by Void803, and another being a character that is usually in another role.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Also, in this chapter, Luffy will be doing something special that will be getting some MAJOR attention from the world and it will be influencing some future interactions he has with certain people… specifically a certain Hebi-Hime and her sisters.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>NOTE: I tend not to describe people if it’s an OC and they will not be hanging around for a while (meaning a quick kill and be done) or the person in question can be looked up. I will describe them if I have changed their outfit, they’re an OC that is sticking around for a while, or they weren’t at the place in the story at that point and time in the anime/manga and I need some outfit for them. Like when I had Luffy meet Robin and I described her outfit or when I described Makino and Sabo’s clothes in the first chapter.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Note 2 (though this shouldn’t be needed again I’ll have it just to be safe): Luffy considers Damon his dad, while Dragon is his father. Luffy acknowledges that Dragon is his father, but considers Damon more of a parent than Dragon. This is why he says his dad in conversation and not his father.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Anyway, let’s move on to what you all actually want to see.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Disclaimer: If I owned One Piece, then Dragon would have manned up and helped Luffy when he was younger or at least left him something to help with his training.</strong>
</p><p>“Speech”</p><p>
  <em>“Thoughts”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘Conversation thoughts’</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>“Non-humanoid/pissed off Luffy voice”</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“Above’s thoughts”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“Above’s conversation thoughts”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <em>{Flashback}</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>CHAPTER 5: A Princess, Slaves, and Giants</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>Grand Line: A day’s travel from Crocus’ Lighthouse</em>
</p><p>Luffy had to hold back his laughter as he watched Zoro and Sanji go at it over Sanji deciding he was gonna beat the, in his words, ‘Lazy-ass Moss head to a pulp.’ The reason for this? Well, Luffy’s crew didn’t believe him when he told them the weather changes on a dime and even he couldn’t stop it with their two guests, named Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday, agreeing about the weather while being confused about him not being able to stop it. This led to them having to turn the ship around as the waters moved them back towards the lighthouse, snow came out of nowhere, a heavy rain storm then came, then a typhoon, before going back to normal. During that time, the crew, and two guests, were running around trying to adapt to the weather while Luffy sat and kept his power flowing through the ship to make any repairs that the ship needed as the various weather affects were pummeling the wood and Luffy was ensuring the ship didn’t sink or get badly damaged; he liked this ship, he worked damn hard to improve it off of Merry’s work!</p><p>Anyway, back to the fight, Sanji was extremely pissed as Zoro had slept through the entire thing only to awaken to the normal weather and saw everyone on the ground and accused them of being lazy on a nice day. Naturally this got a round of tick marks before Makino, Nojiko, Nami, and Kaya all brained him a few times, Kuala punched him with a hundred brick fist, and Alvida tried to squash him with her mace before Gin, Usopp, Sanji, Sabo, Johnny, and Yosaku all drew their weapons and began attacking him relentlessly. Right now it was Sanji’s turn as he viciously attempted, and succeeded at points, to kick Zoro in his torso or head and Zoro retaliated and restrained himself, barely, from using the blades and just hit the cook with the blunt sides and the hilts, “Stay still and take your licks like a man you shitty moss head!”</p><p>Sanji shouted as he sent a vicious kick to Zoro’s head and said man ducked it, “Why don’t you make me you perverted crap cook?!?” Zoro shouted as the two kept trying to beat the hell out of the other and Luffy chuckled slightly while Makino was now cuddled in his lap with Nami making sure the ship was still on course with Nojiko… and waiting for her turn to sit with Luffy as the three cycled through sitting with him and Alvida was standing by as the girls were still discussing letting her into their little family.</p><p>“You know, maybe I should let them do this every day. This is the most training they’ve got since we started since they want to just beat the hell out of each other.” Luffy stated through a chuckle causing Makino, Alvida, Nojiko, and Nami to pause before giggling since it was true. Luffy then kissed Makino’s cheek before standing as he could see an island in the distance. Luffy brought his fingers up to his mouth before whistling and catching everyone’s attention, “That’s enough; we’re coming up on the next island.” He stated before he frowned as Zoro and Sanji weren’t listening and he was next to them in a flash before he slammed their heads together, “I said that’s enough.”</p><p>Luffy stated in a tone that made them all tense slightly before Zoro and Sanji nodded while still glaring at the other. Well, until they heard Luffy crack his knuckles and they began sweating slightly before moving to opposite ends of the ship at attention causing Luffy to nod while Usopp laughed his ass off at the scene before the two powerhouses both conked him over the head for it, which in reality wasn’t that bad of a thing since Kaya got to play medic for him and dote over him. Luffy then idly paid attention to the two guests of the ship jumping off and swimming away.</p><p>As they docked the ship, Luffy frowned at the ‘welcoming party’ they received and, as they passed, Luffy whispered to his crewmates, “Trust no one, there is something wrong here.” He had stated and each crew member gave a nod, knowing to trust Luffy’s instincts after all that he had done so far and most knowing that his feelings were always right… and Gin just doing as his captain ordered and not being an idiot.</p><p>So with that, the Strawhats enjoyed the party with Nami out drinking about 20 guys and still going strong, though she would occasionally glance to Luffy as she wanted to spend some nights with him too.</p><p>Johnny and Yosaku were getting most of the bar to join them in singing, badly, while they did their twin dance.</p><p>Usopp was regaling people with his tall tales while also shooting anyone in the head with a ball bearing if they hit on Kaya and Kaya would threaten irreversible medical harm to any girl who tried to seduce Usopp.</p><p>Gin sat at a table with Zoro drinking, while the latter just kept drinking bottle after bottle and Gin merely savored it while also eating some of the food, and looked around to try and find something out of the ordinary.</p><p>Nojiko was winning at a few games of darts with no trouble and had a Nami like grin on her face as she got her winnings, and a Nami like look when she would look at Luffy sitting with Makino.</p><p>Sanji was flirting with all the women, who would return the flirting, and Zoro and Luffy had a small bet going on how much he would regret sleeping with any of them if he wasn’t careful.</p><p>Sabo and Kuala were sitting with each other chatting while giving death glares to anyone who interrupted them, besides their crewmates, and going to more extreme methods when called for with two examples being a large guy hitting on Kuala only to have cuts on his elbows and knees before he got a speed kick to the face sending him into a wall and rather provocative woman flirting with Sabo before getting a karate fist to the gut sending her through a wall while the two just continued chatting without even batting an eyelash.</p><p>Alvida was struggling not to demolish the place as every man, not of the crew and not unconscious, was hitting on her and trying to get in her pants even after she swatted about half a dozen of them through a wall with her mace and she too was wishing she could spend some nights with Luffy.</p><p>However, the three women that wanted time with Luffy had to fight back a nosebleed and blush, while the men and other female crew mates were trying not to look or pay attention. What was the cause you ask? Well after eating so much food that 5 cooks passed out from shock that he could want more, Luffy sat back on a couch to relax before a slightly, and by slightly I mean faking it, inebriated Makino straddled him and had on her sexiest smile before leaning into his ear, “I’m not wearing panties, Luffy-kun.”</p><p>She stated seductively and he smirked before he slipped his hand to her ass and began rubbing it appreciatively, “I see that, though I wonder what could have caused my cute little Makino-chan to be so daring and sexy.” He replied licking along her neck and gave her ass a light smack with the background noise drowning out the sound of it and Makino’s moan before she smiled slightly.</p><p>“Oh, I’m sure I can give you a pretty good idea.” She stated before taking him into a kiss and slipped his hand into her shorts and his other into her shirt before moaning appreciatively as Luffy groped her ass and breast slightly and dominated their kiss before engaging in a battle of tongues with her. Naturally, the longer they did this the more attention it drew and Luffy and Makino continued for a few minutes ignoring everyone else, even as a few males and females not of the crew passed out from nosebleeds.</p><p>Luffy then pulled back and moved to her ear, “No bra either? How bold Makino-chan, maybe I should reward you tonight, we haven’t had fun yet and I know you’ve wanted to like I have.” He stated and she perked up with a blush and Luffy smirked before taking her into another kiss and moved to her ear, “Not now, not only do I not want an audience, but there is some other fun to have soon. But don’t worry, I’ll reward you later.”</p><p>He stated and she nodded before he moved his hands out of her clothes and stroked her back and hair as she snuggled close to him with a beaming smile on her face. After a few minutes, they made it look like they fell asleep while the less cautious of the crew; meaning not Zoro, Gin, Nami, Alvida, Kuala, or Sabo; actually did fall asleep.</p><p>Outside, the ‘mayor’ of the town, a large man with curly hair and kept doing vocal warmups when his voice started cracking, was standing outside the bar area with Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday along with a woman that was dressed as a nun but now looked to be a muscular woman named Miss Monday before they identified the ‘mayor’ as Mr. 8, “I don’t think it was such a good idea to throw a party, we’re low on food as it is.”</p><p>Miss Monday stated while giving a glance to Wednesday and 9 with both frowning, “What?!? We couldn’t kill the whale from the outside and if we did it from the inside he would have sunk and we would be dead!” They both shouted, while leaving the part out where they didn’t think of that and Luffy actually pointed it out.</p><p>Mr. 8 shook his head and pulled a piece of parchment out of his coat, “We won’t have to worry once we turn the bounty in on that strawhat boy.” He stated as he showed them Luffy’s bounty and they all gaped at such a goofy looking kid having such a huge bounty of 95 million. However, they then heard laughing before they looked up to a nearby rooftop to see Zoro.</p><p>“I was wondering when we would run into someone like you, Baroque Works.” He stated shocking them as all the townspeople came out with weapons revealing themselves to be soldiers too and Zoro smirked, “You know, I am a bit disappointed that you only have this many to try and take the crew I’m with.”</p><p>He stated with a predatory smirk before disappearing when they all opened fire on him and appeared in the midst of them pretending to look around and then disappeared again when Mr. 8 fired a gun… from his hair… and a saxophone… yeah, lots of weirdos in this world. Anyway, Zoro decided to test his new blades as he dodged attacks from the mercenaries and idly noticed that since he trained with Luffy and Sabo everything seemed slower than before. Smirking to himself, he drew Yubashiri and flashed passed quite a few enemies before they fell over and Zoro analyzed the blade slightly while idly punching a guy’s face in causing him to flop backwards with his teeth falling out of his mouth, “Hmm, excellent grace and lightweight but I may overcompensate so it will have to go to my left hand since it isn’t my dominant and I’ll have less chance to overcompensate with it.”</p><p>He idly mused to himself before dodging a knife attack from a kid that cowered next to a nun before he knocked them out after they tried to set him on fire. Zoro then climbed up a nearby ladder to a rooftop before sighing sadly as he cut a barrel of grog in half, “What a waste of good alcohol.” He stated before dodging another attacker and then kicking them off the roof along with the ladder he climbed that was filled with people chasing him and he idly wondered if the others were alright.</p><p>
  <em>With Luffy and the gang</em>
</p><p>Once the bar was clear, except for his crew, Luffy stood with his hand possessively on Makino’s ass and looked to the rest of his crew, “Gin, Sabo, get everyone out of the area and I’ll make sure Zoro doesn’t play with his prey too much.” He stated and the two nodded before Kuala gently lifted Kaya and dragged Usopp while Gin tossed Johnny and Yosaku over his shoulders and left with Alvida carefully carrying Nojiko, since she was one of the ones who got a say in if she was with Luffy, and Sabo dragged Sanji out. Luffy kissed Makino’s and Nami’s cheek before heading out and sat on a rooftop looking at Zoro dismantle the mercenaries known as Baroque Works.</p><p>Zoro had switched to his Kotetsu and was having some issues as it not only cleaved through any and all blades it hit but it even cleaved through a solid stone Warhammer and he was getting a little annoyed due to the fact that even scraping it across the ground was leaving a decent scratch behind, “Hmm, definitely sharp, but a blade should only cut if the wielder wants it to and it’s heavier than my other two blades.” He muttered as he felt the urge to cut and spill blood pouring from it, “You’re going to be a problem child.”</p><p>He muttered under his breath before his head was grasped and he was slammed into the ground causing Mr. 8, Mr. 9, and Miss Wednesday to smirk at seeing Miss Monday slam the man into the ground hard, “He was tougher than expected, but clearly the Marines got it wrong and this man is the actual captain.” Mr. 8 stated and the other two nodded, “Ah well, doesn’t matter since he’s done and we can get the bounty.”</p><p>He continued with a smirk before they heard Luffy call out, “Zoro, stop playing with your prey and finish them off, then we can have a drink.” They all turned to see Luffy sitting on the roof with two bottles of grog. They were even further shocked when Zoro grunted before responding.</p><p>“Sorry captain, but it was so boring with it being so easy.” He stated getting looks of shock that A) he was still conscious and B) that Luffy actually was the captain. They then stared in shock as Zoro reached up and grasped Miss Monday’s head and squeezed it until she passed out with her punches not doing anything to Zoro as she punched his chest. Zoro then grinned ferally at them, “Seems my captain doesn’t want me playing around anymore, too bad for you guys.”</p><p>He stated before tossing Monday through a building and drew Yubashiri to use with Kotetsu and walked forward with 9 growling before he leapt at Zoro with his metal bats and Zoro lazily blocked his bat swings before sweat dropping as Wednesday rode by him… on a duck… that had goggles and a hat… and she was screaming at it as she kept riding through the area. Zoro then leapt back as 8 fired his guns at him and Zoro retaliated by jumping and axe kicked the guy down into the ground since he felt Luffy didn’t want these guys dead and he then clotheslined the duck and Wednesday as they came running again before dodging the baseball bat attack from 9 and then slammed both hilts into the guy’s back and neck knocking him out.</p><p>Zoro then sheathed his blades before he jumped up and sat beside Luffy and taking the offered bottle of grog. The two sat there drinking while seeing a few of the buildings burning and/or crumbling, “Not bad Zoro, you played with a small army of soldiers and only broke half the town doing it.” Luffy stated causing Zoro to snort as he drank more of his bottle.</p><p>However, the two’s drinking time was interrupted by two more Baroque Works agents coming and Luffy frowned before he appeared down there and kicked the black guy, who he heard called Mr. 5, into a building while holding his blade at the other woman’s throat, who he heard called Miss Valentine, “Move and I kill you, which would be a pity seeing as how your rather beautiful.” Luffy stated getting the woman to freeze and blush before Luffy turned to 8, “Captain Igaram, take Princess Vivi from the area and tell my crew that you’re now our guests on the ship, we’ll be your transportation to Alabasta.” He stated shocking the now renamed Igaram and Vivi which made Luffy smirk, “Please, all you did was change your name. You have the same hair style, voice, and attacks and the Princess is exactly the same. So, please go before I have to knock you out and take you to my ship since you won’t last 10 minutes alone.” He then smirked wider and turned his attention to an outcropping of rock, “Heh, especially since Miss All Sunday is here in case Five and Valentine here fail.”</p><p>He stated and Igaram paled along with a now standing Vivi and Luffy gazed at Robin before shaking his head in silent warning to not try it before he looked at Zoro, “Zoro, escort these two out of the area, go ahead and use whatever force you want to get rid of anyone in your way, and tell the others to stand back too.” He stated before spinning and throwing Valentine away and slicing a projectile from 5 in half and the two halves exploded as Zoro dragged the two people away while nodding to Sabo who moved the other members of the crew to a position that they could see but wouldn’t get caught in the fight.</p><p>Luffy continued to just move his sword cutting down any and all projectiles, which in this case was actually mucus and boogers from 5’s nose, and no I am <strong><em>NOT</em></strong> kidding, and advanced on 5 before stopping to gaze up and smirked before whistling appreciatively as he got an up skirt/dress view of Valentine and she was rather bold with her choice of panties being a thin yellow G-string that barely covered her pussy, “Nice view from here.”</p><p>Luffy stated and Valentine blushed heavily before she frowned, “Kilo Kilo: 10,000 Kilogram press.” She stated as she suddenly launched downward like a bullet while Luffy side stepped and she smashed into the ground and created a large crater with Luffy looking down at her.</p><p>“You know, that was rather dumb since you gave me time to dodge and you would be dead if I hadn’t tossed you aside since your partner was aiming to kill me regardless of if you would have been or not.” He stated plainly while raising his sword to cut the next projectile in half and turned to 5 looking rather annoyed, “Do you mind? I’m trying to talk with the pretty girl that’s your partner.” He stated, unknowingly getting another blush from Valentine, before he dodged another projectile from 5 and began walking towards him with his sword scraping along the ground.</p><p>5 smirked as Luffy approached him, <em>“That’s it, come closer. Once you strike me, I’ll just blow up my entire body and be fine due to my Devil Fruit Powers.”</em> He thought smugly as Luffy approached him before stopping about 10 feet in front of him and drew his sword back and 5 just smirked wider.</p><p>However, that smirk vanished when Luffy’s right arm glowed sapphire before he swung the blade and there was a loud BOOM. 5 blinked a few times thinking nothing happened before he suddenly spit blood out and felt immense pain and began struggling to breathe as he looked down and saw his entire chest cavity blown open and blood pouring out of him while, unknown to him, there was a large ditch through the ground behind him and a couple of buildings were destroyed. 5 coughed up more blood as he swayed slightly, “Ho-how?”</p><p>He rasped slightly before dropping to his knees and Luffy just twirled his blade and put it on his shoulder, “Affinial Sword Style: Thunder Hammer.” Luffy stated as he walked up to 5 who was trying to cling to life, “My skills with a blade go beyond simple hack and slash movements meaning I can launch my attacks like a bullet or cannon ball and due to my unique abilities and powers I can launch affinial attacks through my blade. What you just experienced was my Thunder affinity and don’t worry about your little failsafe connected to your Devil Fruit, it won’t get its chance at killing me.” Luffy stated as he looked impassively at 5, who was still hacking and pouring out blood with a shocked and angry face at Luffy, before doing a quick swipe and beheaded the man before his arm glowed Grey and rock/stone shot up and engulfed the body before going underground again.</p><p>Luffy popped his neck as he sheathed his sword while a large part of the mountain behind the town exploded and Luffy stood and looked at a shocked, and slightly terrified, Valentine and he squatted down as she was still in the crater, “So, you have three options: 1) You can try to kill me and fail in which case I either kill you or capture you before doing some of the darker things my dad taught me in order to interrogate people, but I won’t do the one thing all women fear since I am not some heartless bastard. 2) You can surrender and come along with me and give any and all information that I want from you regarding Baroque Works and I will let you go on your way after I finish dismantling the organization since I am sure the Royal Captain will want some help getting Vivi home safely and I already told Miss All Sunday to tell your boss I was coming. 3) You run, I either chase and capture you or maybe kill you or that otter and vulture sitting on the cliff to my left hunt you down and either kill you or capture you to bring before your boss before he then kills you. So essentially, your choices are death; capture and interrogation with potential for death; or you can come with me willingly, give me some information or maybe have me earn it some way, and then leave after the smoke clears and I’m still standing or you can even stay with the crew if you want. However, regardless of your choice, you only have a few moments more to decide since that otter and vulture are waiting to decide if they should just remove you or not.”</p><p>Luffy stated and Valentine began panicking as the aforementioned otter and vulture flew at them with the vulture having dual Gatling guns before Luffy drew one of his pistols and fired it hitting the wing of the vulture causing it, and the otter as it rode the vulture, to spiral out of control and crash before they took off running. Luffy aimed his pistol down the way at the two and fired another shot that sailed through the air and hit the vulture’s other wing… at over 600 yards away. Luffy looked back to the gobsmacked Valentine and smiled, while smirking inwardly at her blush, and reholstered his pistol, “So, which do you choose?”</p><p>Luffy asked and Valentine gulped, “I-I’ll cooperate, just please don’t hurt me.” She stated with fear evident in her voice and Luffy nodded before extending his hand to her and helped her to her feet before making her blush again as she stumbled into his solid chest causing him to chuckle before he kissed the back of her hand.</p><p>“Captain Monkey D. Luffy of the Strawhat Pirates and Reaper of the Seas.” Luffy stated while taking his hat off for a moment and then turning to a nearby building that held his crew all in different stances, since a few were shocked at his display against 5 especially Igaram and Vivi, “Sabo, head back to the ship and start getting everything ready to leave, the rest let’s get out of here.” Luffy ordered as he motioned for Valentine to follow him as he walked back to the ship with Sabo and the others nodding.</p><p>Once they were on the ship, Luffy turned to Nami, “The Logposes all reset?” He asked and she smiled and nodded showing them the direction to go and Luffy nodded, “Let’s get going guys. We got a Princess to deliver and group of people to beat up.” Luffy declared and the crew all smirked as they got the ship ready to go while Valentine was still shaking a little and Vivi and Igaram were shocked, though Vivi’s duck was just relaxing.</p><p>“Uh, Mr. Luffy, I don’t think you know who you are dealing with. If you knew who the leader was then you wouldn’t be so eager to face him or the Organization.” Vivi stated with Igaram nodding and Luffy chuckled lightly and waved her off getting her to become more worried, “You don’t understand, the leader is...”</p><p>She started to say before she was cut off, “The pirate Crocodile of the Shichibukai that has an 81 million bounty on his head and is considered untouchable by the Marines because of his Shichibukai status.” Luffy finished for her getting everyone to stop and look at him in shock as he smirked and looked to the railing next to Sabo, “Isn’t that right, Miss All Sunday? Or can I still call you Robin-chan?” He asked with the smirk still present as everyone then turned to see Robin sitting on the railing with a small smile on her face.</p><p>“Yes that’s right, and I don’t mind you calling me Robin, Luffy.” She stated while Vivi and Igaram paled and were on edge along with Valentine, Alvida, Johnny, Nami, Nojiko, Usopp, Kaya, and Kuala. Sabo and Zoro weren’t because Luffy wasn’t, Gin wasn’t since his captain seemed to be friendly with her, Sanji was fawning all over her, Makino wasn’t as nothing she could do would be able to harm them with Luffy around, and Yosaku wasn’t since he had interacted with her before when they went after Nami. Robin just stared at Luffy with that smile still on her face, “The Island you’re heading towards, it’s called Little Garden and I’m not sure if you can survive there.”</p><p>She stated as she made an arm sprout from the deck and hold up a Log Pose and, before she could speak, Luffy grabbed it and tossed it back, “We’ll manage.” He stated before smirking, “Besides, if we were to use yours then we would have to turn around at some point in order to continue our own journey as our Log Poses would remain stuck on Little Garden until we did go there. Besides, <em>Sandy</em> is gonna need all the time he can get to prepare for our coming.” Luffy then frowned slightly as Robin took his hat and he appeared next to her to take his hat back, “That’s not very nice, Robin-chan.” Luffy stated as he put his hat back on his head and Robin giggled slightly.</p><p>“Sorry Luffy, I couldn’t resist. Anyway, I’ll be sure to tell him and look forward to seeing you in Alabasta.” She stated before jumping down and getting on her giant turtle named Banchi. However, she paused at Luffy making a comment.</p><p>“Make sure you watch the papers in the coming week. They’re going to be talking about me again and I’m pretty sure you and a few others are going to be interested in the additions to my list of supposed crimes.” He stated and Robin turned with a raised eyebrow and Luffy grinned, which drew a blush from her, “Let’s just say there is another reason I want to keep going the way we are.” Luffy stated cryptically as he turned back to the helm and waved Sabo to start towards the Log Pose’s direction.</p><p>Robin merely got on Banchi and Luffy had everyone relax the rest of the night before Igaram made a fuss about Valentine being on the ship and Luffy sighed, “Igaram, we are in the middle of the ocean and her power lets her increase the weight of someone or something and she can’t do anything because if she isn’t careful the entire ship will sink and thus kill her since she can’t swim and most of us can. Even if she were to try that, my powers would pull the ship back up to the surface so just relax and enjoy the ride to Alabasta.” Luffy stated as he walked away, with his arm on Makino’s shoulder, to his quarters.</p><p>
  <strong>*****LEMON START*****</strong>
</p><p>The moment the door was closed; Luffy caught Makino by her ass as she glomped him and took him into a heated kiss as her tongue begged for entrance to his mouth and he obliged before pinning her to the wall and pulling her shorts down her legs before pulling them off and groped her bare ass, while internally thankful he learned how to reinforce the wood and make different runes that would keep the noise in the cabin unless he wanted it to change.</p><p>Focusing on his girlfriend again, he gripped her ass tightly and explored her mouth with his tongue before untying her bandanna and pulled her top off as his right hand began teasing her nipples. Makino moaned into Luffy’s mouth as she felt his hands and fingers work their magic on her body before she felt Luffy carry her by her ass to the bed and laid her down while still exploring her body and her mouth. However, for their fun to begin, Luffy had to pull back and removed his clothes while Makino gazed lustfully at him while sitting on the bed in just her heels as Luffy was all muscle and had an, at least, 8 inch cock throbbing and ready to fuck her silly. Luffy smirked at seeing her eyes there and moved forward towards her before moving her arms above her head and holding them there as he moved to her cheek and kissed there, then her neck getting soft moans from Makino, and then down to her breasts where he captured one nipple in his mouth and the other he pinched between his thumb and forefinger, “Ah, Luffy.”</p><p>Makino moaned as her lover sucked, licked, and nibbled on her nipples while kneading both breasts and still holding her hands above her head, oh how she loved the Gum Gum fruit since it allowed him to stretch his fingers and hands to wrap around and then squeeze and release her breasts. After a few minutes, Luffy released her breasts and began kissing and licking down her body until he reached her pussy and gripped her ass to bring it up to his face before he began giving it slow, sensual licks that made Makino moan and send shivers up her spine, “Luffy-kun, please. Eat me out to the point I’ll pass out.” She begged and Luffy looked at her with a smirk before he shoved his tongue into her pussy and she moaned loudly before letting out a scream as his tongue stretched and kept folding itself until her pussy and womb were full and he literally began tongue fucking her pussy causing her to moan and groan as his tongue touched everywhere inside her pussy.</p><p>However, Luffy wasn’t done and Makino blushed and squeaked when Luffy’s pinky went into her ass and he began thrusting it slowly and, as she began moaning and loosening, he increased the size of his pinky to slowly stretch her ass wide enough for his cock. Makino then screamed in orgasm as Luffy’s other fingers stretched and one enclosed around her clit and squeezed it while the two others went around her nipples and did the same and his thumb went into her pussy and thrusted in time with his pinky and tongue. Luffy smirked at making his first girlfriend cum and removed his thumb before moving it up to her mouth and increased its size slightly and she obediently began sucking on it as he kept pushing her into one orgasm after another.</p><p>After about another half dozen orgasms for Makino, Luffy stopped to let her catch her breath before she then pulled him onto the bed in a kiss and shifted so he was sitting on the bed and she was on her knees before him with her heels still being seen, “It’s my turn to taste now, Luffy-sama.” Makino stated lustfully as she had a bit of a thing for him being her superior, officially as he was captain, and found herself being horny when thinking of him telling her what to do while having their fun and she also enjoyed the thought of him being able to just take her anytime and anywhere, hence the no panties or bra, and also enjoyed the thought of possibly being seen. She internally decided to talk with Luffy about possibly being more daring with their fun, but right now she just wanted to taste his cock.</p><p>With that thought in mind, Makino began slowly and seductively licking his cock while making sure he had a full view of her tits and ass and licked every inch of his cock and balls while finding why Luffy licked every part of her; it was fun and he probably enjoyed the taste like she did him. Deciding to do more, Makino began sucking on his balls while on of her hands stroked his cock and the other began teasing her own pussy, which disappointed her slightly since Luffy could literally finger, tongue, or even toe fuck her pussy and her own fingers may not do it anymore especially when she got his cock into her.</p><p>After about 2 minutes of sucking on his balls and giving him a light handjob, Makino moved to the top of his cock and began licking the head and shaft before she began sucking his cock greedily while fondling his balls with the hand that was stroking his cock before she then deepthroated him and enjoyed the sound of him grunting and trying not to cum so she could taste him longer. However, she was not going to let him and deep throated him as far as she could go in her throat before humming and Luffy lost control and came down her throat causing her to moan slightly as she drank it down greedily before slowly pulling back so she could clean his cock as she went before she wrapped her D cup breasts around his cock to get him ready to go again quickly.</p><p>Luffy groaned at feeling her breasts around his cock before looking down at her with a predatory gaze that made her pussy spasm before she found herself on the bed on her knees with her back against his chest and him groping her breasts as he rubbed his cock against her pussy and kissed her while dominating her mouth. After a few moments, Makino broke the kiss, “Luffy-kun, please, I-I need it. Fuck my pussy, please.”</p><p>She begged and Luffy nodded before laying her on her back and took her into a kiss as he slowly inserted himself with both moaning and groaning slightly before he bottomed out while kissing her womb with his cock and stayed there to give her a chance to adjust to him being inside her. He then started thrusting when he felt her buck her hips into his and gripped her ass with one hand while using his other to play with her tits and continued exploring her mouth while Makino was submitting to Luffy and keeping her arms wrapped around his neck.</p><p>Luffy began building up more and more speed as he fucked his first girlfriend and Makino just continued to moan into his mouth as she enjoyed his ministrations and was getting pushed into cumming again, which she did when Luffy gave a hard thrust into her pussy and womb getting her to scream into his mouth before Luffy rolled them over so she was riding him and Makino put her hands on his chest to steady herself as she rode him hard while pulling her hips back to make herself tighter around his cock and loved the feel of Luffy’s cock hitting her womb each time she came down, “Ah! Luffy! Fuck me, fuck me hard and fast and break my pussy for anyone else!”</p><p>Makino screamed as she got another orgasm from Luffy’s cock and Luffy obliged her request by grabbing her hips and slamming her down onto his cock while thrusting his hips up causing Makino to freeze in a scream as it shoved her at the edge of orgasm every time he did it and, before she could react further, he stepped it up by moving two of his fingers into her ass and began thrusting them while another two went up around her nipples, his thumbs wrapped around her clit, and he began alternating sucking on her nipples, kissing her, and nipping her clit causing her to cum continuously. Oh yeah, she loved the Devil Fruit known as the Gum Gum fruit and she figured Luffy did too.</p><p>After about five minutes, and countless orgasms for Makino, Luffy began really thrusting rapidly while his cock pulsed, “I’m gonna cum soon Makino. Where do you want it?” Luffy asked while trying to hold back until she told him as he wasn’t going to fill her if she felt she wasn’t ready.</p><p>Makino moaned as she wanted, no needed to have his cum in her pussy, “My pussy! Fill my slutty pussy with your hot and delicious cum Luffy-sama!” Makino screamed before Luffy raised her till just the tip of his cock was in her before he slammed her down while thrusting up into her slamming into her womb as he began filling it with his cum as Makino froze in a silent scream from the pleasure and warmth that came from Luffy filling her so full.</p><p>
  <strong>*****LEMON END*****</strong>
</p><p>Makino then fell onto Luffy’ chest with both breathing heavily from the exertion of their fun and Luffy put his arms around her and stroked her back and hair with right hand while his left groped her ass appreciatively getting a thankful moan from Makino, “Everything you hoped for?”</p><p>Luffy asked as Makino nodded with a beaming smile, “That and more, Luffy-sama.” She said teasingly before kissing him lightly, “We may have to do this almost nightly, since I can tell this will only get wilder and I will need some relaxing time.”</p><p>Makino stated while kissing his chest and neck and Luffy chuckled slightly, with Makino loving the feel of his muscles as he did, “I’m yours whenever you want, my cute little slut.” He stated and Makino blushed and fidgeted slightly.</p><p>“Luffy-kun!” She whined as she had to suppress her pussy quivering, “If you keep talking like that, I’ll have to have you take me again.” She stated as she was turned on by being his so called slut in bed since she liked to be treated like a queen and love in public but then fucked silly like that was what she was for when in private and Luffy was capitalizing on that.</p><p>Luffy smirked and slapped her ass getting a long pleasure filled moan from her, “Maybe I want to take you again.” He stated with a feral grin and Makino smirked before lifting herself and shifting slightly.</p><p>“Then take me, master.” She stated trying master out and found it made her very horny before Luffy smirked and moved her into the doggy position and continued their fun.</p><p>
  <em>3 days later: Open Sea</em>
</p><p>Since their night of fun, Luffy and Makino had had two repeat performances with the crew and three guests having guessed what they did based on Makino walking a little funny and having a glow about her. Naturally, the jealous and slightly excited ones were her and Luffy’s girlfriends, as Luffy informed them the day after that if he was dating them then they should be considered to be dating each other and this made Nami and Nojiko a little embarrassed but they figured they could move forward given time. Anyway, when Makino told them, they all blushed and had strong nosebleeds before Alvida was happy to learn that she had been accepted into their little family since, on the night of Luffy and Makino’s fun, Nami and Nojiko were talking with Alvida and getting to know her before accepting her and Makino listened to their reasons before accepting as well and Alvida was rewarded with a deep kiss from Luffy that made her legs weak before he then gave one to Nami and Nojiko too as they were giving him their cute fake pouts.</p><p>At the moment, Luffy was lying in his bed with Nami asleep on his chest as Makino decided since she got her fun with Luffy, and could do it whenever, that the other girls could sleep in his bed with him on a rotation with Nami getting the first night with him and she enjoyed it with just being with him and him giving her ass a bit of a grope since she decided to sleep in her underwear with the bra, that matched her hair, being a size too small for her DD breasts and her lower half only had a matching thong that rode up into her ass.</p><p>Currently, Luffy was awake and stroking Nami’s hair while she was still sleeping, or rather she was sleeping again as she awoke when he did and he ushered her back to sleep since Luffy gave Sabo and Nojiko a Log Pose in case Nami needed to rest or, heaven forbid, something were to happen to her and she couldn’t act as the navigator. Anyway, Luffy was just relaxing with his second girlfriend as she slept peacefully with a content smile on her face and Luffy just laid there absentmindedly stroking her hair before Sabo called out, “Luffy! We got a ship with an escort nearby!”</p><p>Luffy frowned and got up with he and Nami quickly dressing before he went up by the helm with the other crew members already being up and on the deck already and Vivi paled at the sight of the frigate class ship bearing the flags of the Celestial Dragons with its escort having similar flags or that of the Marines/World Government, “Sabo steer away, if we are seen they’ll attack us and if we do somehow get away you’ll be marked as enemies of the word!”</p><p>Vivi frantically stated with a few of the crew paling and Igaram nodding quickly while Sabo didn’t move and Luffy frowned as he pulled up a spyglass and growled, “That’s a slave ship.” Luffy growled getting surprised and scared reactions with the first being due to their being slaves and the second being from the few in the know knowing that slave ships had the most security, “Sabo, get the sails set and pursue that convoy.”</p><p>Luffy ordered surprising quite a few people, “Luffy please! You can’t fight these people and it won’t end well. The entire might of the Celestial Dragons and the government will come down on you for committing what they believe to be an act of treason.” She begged and Luffy glanced to her while frowning.</p><p>“I’m already a target of the government for the acts I’ve committed already and I will continue to be a target as I refuse to abide by laws set by people who want to appease the descendants of the ones who formed the government. They want to bring the world down on me? Fine, I’ll take them all on if it means helping people like the ones on that ship.” He stated while the crew saw untold power behind his eyes as he looked over them, “Anyone who wishes to possibly be exempt from this can go below deck until it’s over, one way or another, and if we should fail then you can simply claim that you were held prisoners by us. Anyone willing to help can stay on deck and prepare or man the guns. Make your decision quickly as this ship is not changing course and we’ll be engaging that convoy in naval warfare before raiding that slave transport.”</p><p>Luffy stated and Zoro, Sanji, Gin, Sabo, Makino, Yosaku, Johnny, and Kuala all stood straight while Nami, Nojiko, Usopp, Kaya, and Alvida looked a little unsure and their three guests were looking at them like they were insane. Luffy nodded before looking over them, “Igaram, take Valentine and Vivi off the deck, while both of you are not well known there is a chance you’ll be recognized. Kaya, Nami, please go with them as your weapons are not suited for this at the moment and Kaya, you are the closest thing to a doctor we have and you’ve only just started learning to use your weapons.” He ordered and Kaya nodded with a pout while Nami nodded and took the others into Luffy’s room which, like other ships, was the majority of the stern with Vivi and Igaram still protesting since they believed they couldn’t win this fight, “Usopp, Nojiko, take the crows nests as it will give you a bird’s eye view of the deck and you can see any of their sharpshooters. Zoro man the forward guns, Alvida-chan, you and Johnny take the starboard side, Sanji, you and Yosaku take the port side, Sabo you keep the helm, Kuala I want you to stay beside Sabo and move to help either side as it’s needed, Gin keep an eye out for anything we may miss and call out targets of opportunity, and Makino-chan, you pick any targets you see. I’ll be in the middle of the deck using my abilities to stop incoming attacks and to help even the odds.”</p><p>He ordered and the crew nodded and took positions as Luffy began channeling his powers to make the water work against the opposing ships to ensure they didn’t escape, “Zoro, your cannons have chain shot in them so aim for the masts and sails and none of you are to fire on the transport unless it’s to hit the masts or sails.”</p><p>Luffy ordered as he removed his coat and let it sit on the deck as he stood ready and the others nodded, “Aye Captain!” They stated while, unknown to them, the five people sent to stay hidden were watching through the portholes and were surprised at the way things were going at the moment.</p><p>“Darn it we have to stop them, they won’t stand a chance against them!” Vivi stated as she tried to go out there and Nami blocked her with her staff.</p><p>“Luffy-kun said to stay down here since you didn’t want to help with the fight and there is also the chance you could be recognized so you aren’t going anywhere.” Nami stated with Vivi gritting her teeth before she tried to go by and Nami smacked her torso with her staff sending her back while Igaram was shocked and went to Vivi with Kaya now there with her Kama out before Nami locked the door and dropped the key into her cleavage, “I said to stay and you’re going to stay.”</p><p>Nami stated as she went back to watching the crew with Kaya as Zoro fired the front cannons, which Luffy designed a mount for that allowed them to fire together or separate as they were three barreled cannons that rotated to the next shot, destroying three gunboats as they were clustered together with one getting torn apart, another getting their powder stocks lit, and the last due to the masts collapsing and causing the boat to capsize. Luffy’s arm then glowed before a large wave crashed down over one of the escort Frigates smashing it into pieces and drowning the crew before wind came and cut through the sails of the transport ship making it slow to a halt.</p><p>Sabo, following the water and wind that Luffy was generating, sailed between two Brigs that were busy trying to adjust and get their cannons ready before Gin and Kuala moved to help the two sides and they opened up using what Luffy called Chain Runes that made it so if more than one cannon was fired on a side of the ship it would set all of the cannons off to fire giving them a full blast of cannons with only a minimal amount of crew having to man the cannons. Naturally, the two Brigs couldn’t stand up to the full bombardment to their hull and began sinking while Gin ran and replaced Sabo as the Helmsman as the latter used his Speed Speed fruit to go through the ship and reload the cannons before going back to the Helm.</p><p>However, Luffy turned and walked to where Zoro was before stepping onto the bow of the ship and focusing on the biggest threat in the area: A Man-o-War. Luffy cupped his hands together as his arm glowed again before he growled and he raised his hands with warped light appearing in his hands as he got ready to throw his power, “RAAHH!” He roared as he launched the attack and it tore through the water before smashing into the ship and then exploding out with a large BOOM sounding. Luffy stood there taking a breath before waving Sabo towards the transport ship with the other crew, minus Makino, gawking at the power as Luffy got down after sending another wave to crush the last escort Frigate.</p><p>Usopp recovered first and took aim and shot one of the sharpshooters off the upper mast of the ship before Nojiko followed suit and took one off the side of the ship as they attempted to use a strange cannon near the stern of the ship. Luffy stretched his arms across and grabbed the underside of the ship before roaring as he pulled and the two ships came closer while Sabo helped by throwing grappling hooks with the others helping except Makino who was still shooting the Marines and personal soldiers of the Celestial Dragons as they attempted to cut the ropes or get a shot off on her fellow crew members.</p><p>Once the ship was close enough, Luffy leapt over cutting down three Marines as he did before whipping his leg smashing into the sides of several soldiers breaking ribs and arms while others got sent over the edge before Zoro then leapt over and cut down more soldiers with Sanji betting him that he could take more down and thus the two began destroying the enemy crew while Gin was smashing anyone that tried to come across with Alvida and Makino was shooting anyone that was attempting to climb up and attack Nojiko or Usopp. Johnny and Yosaku also leapt across and began cutting down the soldiers in a pincer movement with Luffy in the center, Zoro and Sanji at the stern, and them at the bow.</p><p>Luffy cut one man’s arm off before spinning and cutting through three more before firing his pistols at two officers at the back that were giving orders killing them both before he used his Gum Gum Rocket to launch himself to the top of the ship where he kicked three riflemen off before grabbing the flags off the masts and setting them on fire and then dropped in front of the captain of the ship and engaged him. Luffy blocked a thrust before shifting and stabbing his knife into the Captain’s arm causing the man to scream in pain. Luffy then pulled his knife out and spun around him shoving his machete into his chest and his knife into his neck killing the man. When Luffy withdrew his weapons, the body fell to the deck making the soldiers pause in shock before seeing that they were not going to win since 40+ of their fellow soldiers were dead, dying, severely wounded, or not on the ship anymore and the attackers had yet to be harmed. With that in mind, they threw down their weapons and surrendered while Sabo quickly scooped up the weapons and moved them back to their ship while Luffy turned to who he assumed was the slave master and stood before him, “Give me the key to the shackles and cells, now.”</p><p>Luffy demanded and the man growled before spitting at his feet before finding a sword at his throat and Zoro glaring angrily for someone disrespecting his captain before the slave master found himself in a vice like grip with Luffy being the one holding him before seeing said key and yanked it off the man’s neck before breaking his leg and arm. While the man shouted in pain, Luffy tossed the key to Sabo who caught it and unlocked the cargo hold before he and Gin saw people and began helping them out after Sabo sped down there and unlocked the different locks before helping the people out of the hold while Sanji jumped back across to begin cooking for the no doubt starving people coming aboard.</p><p>As the now freed slaves and prisoners turned slaves crossed over, Luffy broke the Helm, rudder, and had Sabo raid the cargo while he and Zoro took the guns off the stern of the ship that Luffy remembered Damon telling him was something still being researched called a Puckle Gun which was essentially a cannon sized gun that could fire multiple times without having to reload and it could fire in rapid succession. Once everything was cleared from the ship, Luffy and his group moved back to his ship and Luffy paused when he heard the slave master speak, “Why? Why would you risk the wrath of the nobles and the government just for some people you don’t even know?”</p><p>The man asked as everyone now looked to Luffy, counting a cooking Sanji and the others hiding as they could still hear through the walls. Luffy merely turned to look at the man, “It’s simple: until everyone is free; we are all slaves.” He stated before he used his powers to make the ship move far away from the burning/sinking/stranded remains of the convoy as they sailed and Luffy looked to the liberated people, “Listen up, I will be helping you to escape and will be giving you transport to any of the islands currently under my protection.” He stated getting happy murmurs going, “However, I have rules: You will do nothing to harm the people of the islands, you will not try anything on anyone on this ship or those islands, and you will not attempt to aid the Marines or anyone else in taking said territory. If you so desire you may remain on this ship as part of the crew and will be considered family or as I have stated you can go to the islands and live there or even begin helping to reinforce my power by building ships, armaments, or anything else that may be needed since I will be taking on the government meaning at some point I will need more than just this one ship. The choice is, as it always should have been, entirely yours. You have till we reach the next island to decide and I will have you come to me one at a time so I can remove that damn mark from you if you so wish. For now, rest, eat when my friend Sanji has finished cooking, and if you need something to do then see if you can help around the ship but do not cause trouble for anyone or there will be problems for you.”</p><p>He stated and the liberated people all nodded and sat around the deck, which was fuller than ever due to them getting over 50 people off that ship and Makino shouldered her bow before heading to the galley to help Sanji since it was a lot of people to cook for at once and Gin began helping them get any old shackles, cages, or other confinements off with Alvida and Zoro doing the same while Kaya, Nami, Johnny, and Yosaku, with the latter three following directions given by the former, began helping with any wounds they had and Luffy began attaching and looking over the Puckle Guns to see if he could recreate or improve them while Usopp and Nojiko kept an eye out for any possible ships that may have been scouting for or falling behind the convoy. Sabo was getting the ship back on course while Vivi and Igaram were shocked at the crew being successful and Vivi approached Luffy while Igaram couldn’t find it in his heart to sit and do nothing and went to help Kaya and the others with treating the wounds even going so far as to tear his nice clothing to make makeshift bandages for them, “Luffy, you realize you can’t save everyone and this is only going to bring down even more wrath upon you.”</p><p>Vivi stated and Luffy sighed, “You don’t understand Vivi, I don’t care about what comes after me and I know I can’t save everyone, but to see people suffering and do nothing is as bad as being the one causing the people to suffer in the first place. You believe that certain people, such as yourself, are immune to becoming the slaves and whipping dogs of the nobles when you couldn’t be further from the truth.” He stated getting people’s attention while Vivi and Igaram gave him surprised looks, “Do you understand the saying I said to the captain as we left?”</p><p>He asked and Vivi frowned, “Until everyone is free, we are all slaves? I’m afraid I don’t.” She stated and Luffy chuckled lightly while finishing attaching the Puckle Guns.</p><p>“Your status means nothing Vivi. If a world Noble saw you, he could claim you as his in an instant and your father could do nothing. If he did try it, the government could simply lockdown your country and keep any and all trade out of it which basically would strangle your country or replace your father with someone willing to do things their way and you just get sent along with the Noble that wanted you. Even if your status were to give you immunity, the moment your father dies, was replaced by say a Coup, or fell from grace with the government, you would be no better off than a normal person.” He stated shocking Vivi and Igaram since that was entirely possible and they hadn’t considered it, “And the government won’t do a damn thing since they loyally follow justice, which 99% of the time is whatever the nobles say justice is, which is why no Marine with authority, or at least ones who have kept their positions, has ever questioned why the government allows slavery when if anyone other than a noble takes slaves they are arrested, forced to pay a fine, imprisoned, or executed. And do you know what happens to the slaves those particular individuals acquired?”</p><p>Luffy asked and Vivi gulped and shook her head, “Their sent to a slave auction where nobles simply buy them and then use them until they wear out, they decide to have ‘fun’ and kill the slave or stick them in an arena so they can brutally murder the others, they decide to have other forms of fun with them, or <strong><em>VERY RARELY</em></strong> do they actually either treat the slaves fairly, free them, or in less than 0.000001% of the time they actually take them into their family in some form. So tell me Vivi, where is the justice in that?”  Luffy asked before he walked past a practically shattered Vivi and began helping the freed people with what he could.</p><p>
  <em>Three Days later: Off the shore of Little Garden</em>
</p><p>The past three days had been adventurous if nothing else due to Luffy demonstrating his unique talents, draining as they were on him, by removing the brands from the prisoner’s bodies with the exception of one named Jack Kingston, who was captured about 2 years ago and was recently brought the South Blue before being sold soon after and was on his way to a Celestial Dragon controlled island, who decided to wear it as a badge of defiance to show everyone he WAS a slave and was not going to serve his oppressors anymore. Another bit of interest was that when Luffy began using some of his other talents to move the former prisoners to the different villages, depending on their preference for the area, there were two that decided to stay with Luffy for the time being, they were Jack Kingston and Jewelry Bonnie and Luffy got them some clothing to wear from his islands while thanking the runes he had stitched into the flags he left at places.</p><p>The former was a man that was 6’5” and built similar to Luffy with dirty blonde/brown curly hair down to shoulders a chiseled face and had tattoos on him with a dragon going up one arm, over the shoulder, down to the stomach where it was blasting pieces of earth coincidently right at the slave brand on his body, while his left arm was covered in Oni in various shapes and sizes with the primary victims being Marine soldiers in the depictions. He wore a dark grey zip up shirt that he kept undone, a black hoodie with no sleeves, which made it into more of a vest, with his hood usually staying up, normal blue jean shorts, and no footwear since he stated it could interfere with his Devil fruit powers, which he didn’t elaborate on, and some things he didn’t trust the crew enough to discuss, he trusted Luffy somewhat just for having the guts to break them out, but he was still cautious for now.</p><p>Apparently the latter was a captain of a crew until recently when she was ambushed by a Shichibukai and Marines as a World Noble apparently saw her and decided he wanted a pet before sending the Marines after her. She was then given the ‘pleasure’ of seeing her crew executed before she was taken away and apparently had bonded with Jack as he kept some of the more cruel Marines and soldiers, and some of the slaves in the pens they were at before they were sold, from touching her. She had short pink hair, as the noble wanted it cut down, crystal blue eyes, a somewhat skinny figure which was due to her not getting enough food to accommodate her powers which she explained was a Devil Fruit that gave her a high metabolism to function right due to her having the combined metabolism of a child, teen, and adult. At the moment, she wore knee high crimson boots, a pair of shorts that made it to halfway above her knees, the shorts were connected to a pair of suspenders that went over a pink top that Nojiko provided, and she had a white hat that from above looked like a water lily.</p><p>Anyway, after those two joined, a few of the other former prisoners decided to stick around as deck hands/loaders/workhorses/protectors for the ship in the event Luffy’s main crew, that the deck hands just referred to as the officers, went inland and the ship was possibly left vulnerable. Not to mention the fact that they could help when raiding a ship as that would be extra rifles/fighters to help clear the decks and could help man and reload the cannons when attacks commenced.</p><p>Another fun note, for Luffy at least, was that Luffy gained another affinity from facing Mr. 5, which naturally was the explosion affinity and was, according to Damon’s lessons, one of the intermediate affinities meaning it wasn’t one of the weakest/base affinities but wasn’t in the strongest tier either, which surprised Luffy when he learned about it from Damon as one could literally make explosions or make projectiles into explosives with ease… though Damon warned him it was among the top 20 of the hardest affinities to master as when Damon first unlocked it, he spent 20 years just learning to use it and hadn’t mastered it until later on. This was even more prominent due to him ‘going out of order’ for it as it was one of the affinities that usually unlocked once you had the affinities connected to/made up the affinity for example the Lava/Magma affinity usually came to one who had both Earth and Fire as an affinity but it could come before that occurred and would take a lot of time to master but the flipside was that it made learning its pieces easier. Luffy had agreed to go over the affinities he knew of with his crew later on and focused on the current tasks.</p><p>At the here and now, the ship was moored next to the island on a river with the crew being amazed at the fact that, apparently, dinosaurs still lived on this island and Luffy grinned slightly, “Hey Sanji, can you make me a lunch? I want to explore for a bit since we have plenty of time to look around.”</p><p>Luffy asked and informed and Sanji nodded before tossing him a package as he figured this would happen before he turned to the others, “Anyone else want to go? If not with Luffy, then anyone that is willing to go hunting since it wouldn’t hurt to fill the stores up especially with those Runes from Luffy that can store large amounts of food and other items so we can fill it even more than under normal circumstances.” Sanji asked and Johnny, Yosaku, Gin, and Zoro all nodded.</p><p>“Sure ya shitty cook; I’ll be back with something bigger than what you could catch anyway.” Zoro stated and Sanji paused with a tic mark as he turned to glare at Zoro as he jumped off the ship.</p><p>“Hold it you damn moss head!” Sanji called out as he placed his boot on the railing, “Them’s fighting words if you think you could catch something better than I could.”</p><p>He stated and Zoro blinked, “Of course I can get better food than you can, you shitty cook, I’m better than you so I would naturally get a better amount of food.” He stated and Sanji was down in his face with both glaring heatedly at each other and growling.</p><p>“Aright you crap swordsman, we got ourselves a bet!” He growled as the two pressed their heads against each other with electricity being sent between their eyes and Luffy rolled his eyes before making a point of cocking one of his pistols slowly and audibly causing the two to freeze and turn to see Luffy there with his pistol still pointing upward.</p><p>“Is there going to be a problem besides just a friendly contest?” Luffy asked in a tone that said to give him a good answer or there would be consequences while working the hammer on his pistol making the area fill with the clicking noises and the two immediately shook their heads with a ‘No Captain!’ coming from the two of them before Luffy reset the hammer and holstered the pistol, “Good, remember the goal is food not beating each other.” He stated before finding Alvida, Valentine, Vivi, and her duck Carue were standing beside him, “Feel like coming along?”</p><p>He asked getting nods and a quack with Luffy nodding and waving to the others as they went into the forest/jungle of the island. Luffy and his group were enjoying the sights around them, though Luffy’s companions noticed he seemed to be more at home here and that the native animals were making it a point to steer clear of him and Vivi could tell even Carue was nervous to be this close to Luffy and not a good distance away and it confused her as, while Luffy was scary when he fought and when he had to be authoritative, he was still a nice person to be around and had a calm aura around him and Alvida and Valentine had similar thoughts on the matter.</p><p>However, all of their thoughts were broken when a Brachiosaurus collapsed in front of them missing its head while a giant stood before them and Luffy blinked slightly, “Huh, didn’t expect to find, let alone meet, Dorry the Blue Ogre, especially on an out of the way island like this.” Luffy commented while the giant looked down at him and loosed a bellowing laugh.</p><p>“Hahaha, well, it seems others have stumbled upon this island after such a long time. Welcome!” The now named Dorry stated and Luffy nodded to him before they ended up going with him to his camp area and drank with him until the nearby volcano erupted and he went to fight his best friend Brogy the Red Ogre since they had a dispute to settle from some number of years ago and it could only be settled by a duel and would keep doing this until one either forfeited or lost.</p><p>Luffy watched as the two giants engaged in combat, though he could tell each was holding back from intentionally killing the other and was only aiming to disable though he doubted they could kill since their weapons were blunted from the constant combat they had and he was amazed they hadn’t broken. After they both had enough, Dorry came back over and sat down before opening a barrel of ale and Luffy froze before slicing the barrel in half and out of Dorry’s hands, “What was that for boy?”</p><p>Dorry asked and Luffy frowned before moving to the alcohol on the ground and dipped his sword into it before then flicking it and the drop of alcohol flew and hit the ground… where it exploded causing the others to widen their eyes, “Someone’s trying to kill you Dorry and it appears they are not brave enough to do it the honorable way.” Luffy growled before he placed his sword tip down and channeled his energy around like he did at Syrup Village before it went out like a wave showing him everything on the island and a ways away from it. Naturally, this sent alarm bells off in Usopp, Nami, Makino, Sabo, and Zoro’s heads as they knew that meant Luffy was looking for someone and they may not be friendly. Luffy stood straight with his blade being out to his side, “Alvida-chan, take the others back to the ship and Dorry please refrain from eating or drinking anything that has been out of your sight without testing it first.”</p><p>He stated as he began walking towards the trees, “Luffy-kun, where are you going?” Alvida asked as she had no doubt he could handle himself, but she was still worried about him. Luffy paused and turned towards her, but the sight of his eyes sent a cold chill down all of their spines, counting Dorry.</p><p>“I’ve got some hunting to do.” Luffy stated before heading into the trees while Alvida led the others back to the ship and Dorry tested some of the other alcohol he had while getting ready for the next battle with Brogy.</p><p>While Luffy walked with a purpose, Alvida and the others were hurrying back to the ship before finding the others there and ready in case of trouble… but there was a problem, “Where are Zoro, Nami, Makino, Usopp, and Sabo?” Vivi asked as they came back and Gin shrugged as he looked over the nearby trees carefully.</p><p>“Don’t know, some weird pulse came and they took off like bats out of hell while saying they’d be back and to be prepared in case someone attacks.” Gin stated with the three of them widened their eyes before Gin shook his head, “They’ll be fine. Let’s just get the ship ready in case we have to leave in a hurry when they come back.” Gin stated and the group reluctantly nodded and got on the ship.</p><p>Back with Luffy, he found himself in a clearing staring a guy, who appeared to be Mr. 3 of Baroque Works based on the fact his hair was literally in the shape of a 3, and a small girl eating biscuits and tea. The reason he was currently not carving the man into a few million pieces or at least giving him a beat down was because the girl used some mark on the ground that kept him from moving from it… or at least that was the general idea and Luffy yawned boredly, “Do you honestly think this is going to hold me?”</p><p>Luffy asked with a raised eyebrow as the presumed Mr. 3 chuckled, “Of course I think this will hold you. It’s held every other person that Miss Goldenweek has trapped inside it.” He stated before Luffy smirked and he seemed to glow as a few rocks hovered around him and his hair waved slightly. The two Baroque Works agents moved back slightly as Luffy grinned viciously as pieces of the earth broke before he released a yell and a shockwave blasted out tearing apart the ground, blasting the two back, and even tore a few trees from the ground.</p><p>When the kicked up dust cleared, Luffy was standing there on a small stool of ground that was surrounded by a crater with him in the center. Luffy then stepped down into the crater before approaching the two still down and disoriented Baroque Works soldiers before he picked 3 up by his neck and sent his fist back a good 50 feet, “Bye.” He stated before his fist shot forward and slammed into 3’s stomach just as Luffy let him go and he was sent flying away. Luffy then turned to the girl who seemed a bit afraid and shocked, “I assume you can find your way off the island?” Luffy asked and she nodded quickly before holding up one of her paint brushes and Luffy nodded, “Good, leave and never bother Dorry or Brogy again.”</p><p>Luffy stated as he sheathed his sword as the girl nodded rapidly before he walked back towards the ship before hearing sounds of fighting, outside of Dorry and Brogy’s match, and began moving through the trees before finding Zoro, Makino, Sabo, Nami, and Usopp squaring off against a pack of Raptors and were not doing as well as they’d hoped. Zoro and Sabo were fine and Makino had long since learned to dodge and evade, but even she could only do so much and Usopp was having a hard time getting a bead on them long enough to shoot them and Nami couldn’t keep up with multiple opponents. From the looks of things, Zoro was tiring, Sabo was trying to make it easier for everyone else, Makino was tiring, Usopp was ducking and diving for his life with a few wounds now on him and Nami was the same with most of her shirt being torn to basically nothing but rags/scraps.</p><p>Luffy, feeling very displeased at these animals, appeared down in the middle of the area and the Raptors immediately stopped and stared at Luffy who glared at them as he began to glow a little again while growling and they immediately backed up, “Beat it.” He growled and the Raptors stood there a moment before running off and Luffy moved to Nami and wrapped his coat around her before lifting her bridal style as her legs took a wound or two apiece, “Sabo, head back and tell Kaya and Igaram to get the medical supplies ready, Zoro you help Usopp get back to the ship, Makino-chan, can you walk?”</p><p>He ordered then asked and they all nodded while Nami snuggled close to Luffy with Makino kissing his cheek before they made their way back to the ship before he handed Nami over to Kaya, Igaram, and Vivi while he and the others got the ship ready since the Log Poses reset. Before they could sail, Dorry and Brogy came before Luffy explained he got rid of the guy after their bounty and they shouldn’t have anyone bothering them anymore and should consider heading back to their home since if they can’t even remember what the dispute was then there was no lost honor in simply ending the feud without a winner and they had more than regained any honor they may have lost causing the fight by having fought honorably and admirably for the long years they were there.</p><p>The two had, reluctantly, agreed while stating they would find their way home since they were certainly large enough to make it through quite a few areas of the water and helped them get past a rather large fish… by smashing their ship in tha back so hard they blasted right through the fish and Luffy had to suppress an eyebrow twitch as he flowed his energy into the ship to fix the little bit of damage that occurred while wondering if his ship would survive the Grand Line or not as there were some things that even he couldn’t fix and just hoped they could find one key member of the crew that they were going to need: A doctor. He just hoped the next island would be peaceful as he had a distinct feeling that things were gonna get complicated again and he wouldn’t mind just a relaxing island for a change as he steered the ship according to the Log Pose.</p><p>
  <strong>Done! Next time will be the Wapol encounter, Drum Island, and maybe one or two custom events/islands with one of them probably being just a training and exercise island.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>A few may be wondering about the deck hands, well the premise is that since Luffy is going to be taking on quite a few government people, and multiples at once later, he is gonna need enough people to work the cannons, sails, raid the ships, and to, naturally, watch the ship for instance while they’re traveling through Alabasta. Luffy’s main crew, or the officers as the deckhands will refer to them, will still be the stars beside Luffy but I am going to be giving Luffy a lower crew to help with the pirating and raids he’ll be doing as there will be more Assassin’s Creed-esque items in this fic as time goes and it isn’t unreasonable as when Shanks left Luffy’s home he had a crew that was decently large but when he made an appearance in later chapter/episodes of One Piece that he was doing something important in he had just around 9 or so people beside him meaning he had a crew for the ship but he had a more elite part that he used for the serious/dangerous/important matters. You could also take Whitebeard as an example as he had an army of crew members but an elite bunch that directed/lead the crew alongside him with him having the final authority/say in the matter.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>I’m not sure if I’ll have Miss Goldenweek join the crew or just not be mentioned again since I don’t know her talents that well or if she would work on the crew.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>With that, I will say goodbye and see you next time.</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Doctor</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luffy and company run into a problem upon leaving Little Garden and now they need a doctor and fast!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Hello all, welcome back and it's time for Drum Island and a little bit of stuff before and after it</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Lastly, taking suggestions for weapons for Bonnie since there are a lot of options and would like to hear from y’all.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Not much else to add so let’s get to the usual stuff.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Anyway, let’s move on to what you all actually want to see.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Disclaimer: LAST TIME I AM DOING THIS SINCE Y’ALL SHOULD GET THE IDEA BY NOW! I DON’T OWN ONE PIECE OR ANYTHING FROM IT!!!!</strong>
</p><p>“Speech”</p><p>
  <em>“Thoughts”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘Conversation thoughts’</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>“Non-humanoid/pissed off Luffy voice”</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“Above’s thoughts”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>‘Above’s conversation thoughts’</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>{Flashback}</p><p>
  <strong>CHAPTER 6: Doctor</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Open Sea: Three Days Later</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Luffy was relaxing on the ship as it sailed for the next island since there had been little to no changes in things over the past three days aside from Zoro, Gin, and Nojiko helping the deckhands/lower crew become better at weapons. No word of Luffy’s Bounty was in yet, but when they considered that the ship was stranded in the middle of the ocean they realized it was going to take some time to get word back to anyone.</p><p>Jack and Bonnie had kept to themselves for the most part, though it seemed Bonnie was a bit more open than Jack since she would talk with Makino and Kaya at times while Jack merely looked on as if ensuring no one tried to touch Bonnie. Luffy had his suspicions about Jack, but he wasn’t going to ask or make any comments since the man had a right to his privacy, especially after what he had been through as a slave.</p><p>Luffy broke from his musings as he felt a small tug on his coat and looked to see a small velociraptor there. It was black with red stripes across its back and its eyes were a strange purple color. The little guy had come from an egg that Luffy had grabbed from Little Garden when he was going to save his crew since he had found a nest with the other eggs destroyed and one still there while two full grown raptors were dead nearby, “What’s up boy? Hungry?” Luffy asked and the raptor seemed to understand him as it shook its head and got him to stand up before leading him to the common area of the ship and he saw Nami there.</p><p>However, instead of the usual perky Nami, he got a Nami that seemed to be having a tough time breathing and was sweating badly before she passed out on the table. Cursing to himself, he moved over to her and picked her up and went to his room, “KAYA! Get me water and a cloth quickly!” Luffy shouted as he went to his room and got Nami in bed before Kaya, Makino, Vivi, Alvida, and Nojiko came in and Luffy quickly put the cloth on her head once it was soaked, “Damn, I should have known since she was exposed to the jungle after that encounter with the raptors.” Luffy stated as he took and tore a piece of fabric to dab the sweat off her face.</p><p>“What is it Luffy-kun?” Makino asked as Nojiko was by her sister looking worriedly and Luffy sighed.</p><p>“It’s a rare fever that you can get when bitten by an insect that’s native to jungles, specifically ones that dinosaurs would love.” He stated getting realization from the others, “Yeah, I don’t know how to cure it but I can slow it down enough that we should be able to find a doctor in time since the fever only gets worse.” Luffy stated getting scared and shocked reactions as Nami shifted slightly and Luffy placed his palm against her before taking a breath as his arm glowed white and she seemed to begin breathing easier and some color came back.</p><p>However, when Luffy pulled his hand back, it was clear that whatever he did was not an easy thing as he had a bit of sweat on his head and was taking some deep breaths, “Makino-chan, make sure the ship stays on course with the other Log Poses while Kaya and I watch over Nami.” Luffy ordered while catching his breath and Makino nodded and kissed Luffy’s cheek before walking out, “Noji-chan, it will be alright, I won’t let Nami-chan die.” Luffy stated seriously to Nojiko, who nodded and kissed his cheek, “Good, now go help with the rest of the crew, if anything changes I swear that I’ll come tell you.”</p><p>Luffy ordered and stated and Nojiko reluctantly did as asked while the others, minus Kaya, left the room to give Nami time to rest and Kaya helped watch over Nami while keeping an eye on Luffy in case he tired himself out too much.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>A Day Later</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Luffy awoke to sensing something occurring on the sea and looked to see Nami trying to get up, “Luffy-kun, get the ship turned away NOW!” Nami ordered as Kaya got her to stay in bed and he moved quickly and got to the helm making Sabo stand aside as he quickly turned the wheel to get the ship to turn. The crew was confused by the action before the sea in front of them suddenly sprung up in a water spout (tornado over water) making them all pale in fear.</p><p> Luffy grit his teeth as he held the wheel in place and poured his power into the ship to ensure the rudder didn’t break and to make the sea help him, “Everyone hang on!” Luffy called as all the crew members grasped the nearest objects and Luffy stretched his arms around to hold the wheel in place before moving his hands out and made the wind flow into their sails and the water to push the back of the ship helping to whip them around and out of the area the water spout held.</p><p>Luffy sighed in relief as they got away from it and released his hold on the helm before he grabbed the railing beside it to steady himself while Sabo manned the helm again as Luffy caught his breath and the lower crew cheered for him, but he waved them off, “Thank Nami once she is better, she’s the one that warned me to turn the ship.” Luffy stated between breaths since using his powers on such strong currents was not an easy thing since he had to fight them while holding the ship together and in place to move with the currents. With Reverse Mountain and the way down it was easier since he didn’t redirect the currents, he merely focused them or made them divert only slightly. This however was changing the winds to flow perfectly in the circular motion to fill the sails and the currents to flow an even way, meaning not being sucked into the water spout, before they both had to be forced to slam straight through the cycle to get the ship out.</p><p>Luffy sat down with his back against the railing as Makino quickly came up with some water and Luffy drank it down quickly before letting out a gasp of air, “Damn that was tiring.” He stated as his raptor quickly came and rubbed against him showing he was there to help if needed. Luffy smiled and pet the little guy while absently remembering he needed to name him at some point. He then stood, “Alright, I want everyone to keep their eyes open for any nearby Islands. I don’t care if the Log Poses point us there or not, we’ll check them out since there may be a doctor on it.” Luffy ordered and the lookouts sounded off in the affirmative while the rest of the crew went back to their routines while Luffy decided to head back and sit with Nami.</p><p>A few hours later, Luffy sensed something and frowned before he came out on deck and found that it was noticeably colder than before and had Sabo go and retrieve the winter clothes he had had Gin retrieve while in Logue Town and began having the crew bundle up in the fur lined coats just in time to see it begin snowing. Luffy frowned still as he sensed there was someone nearby, multiple people in fact, and got his answer as a large hippo style ship pulled up along them and boarded them with several riflemen there aiming at them and Luffy’s crew didn’t bat an eyelash since they knew Luffy was capable of handling this if needed.</p><p>Luffy basically ignored he riflemen as a rather fat, hippo-like, man got on the ship while eating a leg of meat, “What is this? An ugly ship in my presence? Hmm, oh well, give me your treasure and food and make it snappy or I’ll have my men shoot you all and then I’ll eat your ship.” He stated and Luffy didn’t blink.</p><p>“No.” Luffy stated simply enjoying the outraged face the man gave before grabbing the guy by the throat when he tried to take a bite out of the ship. The man gasped for air as he clawed at Luffy’s arm and his men aimed their rifles at Luffy before several dropped them when they got cuts on their arms, several guns were cut to pieces, and the lower crew members all drew their guns on the others while Makino had her bow pointed at a man dressed in a jester uniform and was holding a bow too, “I don’t take kindly to anyone making demands of me let alone those who do that and then try to actually eat my ship.” Luffy stated coldly before his fist stretched a couple hundred yards back before it flew forward just as Luffy let him go and slammed into him sending him flying and he turned to the rest of the invaders and flared his Killing Intent, “Leave.” He growled in a tone that had his own crew willing to leave if he wanted and the riflemen quickly got back on the ship and sailed after their apparent captain.</p><p>Luffy sighed and reigned in his KI (killing intent) and moved back to the helm while a few of the crew gathered the rifles, both broken and whole, and took them below since the broken ones could still be used for parts or melted down into anything else they needed. Luffy sighed as he leaned on the railing, “Makino-chan, take Kaya some clothing and Nami a warmer blanket.” Luffy stated and Makino nodded before she went to grab the items and Luffy breathed out, “Let’s hope we get to an island soon and that we’re lucky enough that they have a doctor to help Nami or that we’re even lucky enough to get a doctor that will come with us.” Luffy stated and Sabo nodded knowing that, while he was good at hiding it, Luffy was becoming exhausted at using his powers to help Nami’s condition since it involved affinities he didn’t possess yet and it was taking its toll on him the more he did it, but a captain is not supposed to show weakness so he hid it as best he could.</p><p>Sabo just hoped they reached an island soon.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>1 day later</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>The ship was sailing along with Luffy and Kaya keeping an eye on Nami as the ship sailed and ensuring she was kept warm with the decreasing weather temperature. However, today was going to be different as Luffy sensed a large number of people a distance off and he got up before leaving Nami’s room and moved to the Helm before grabbing the wheel and turned it a few degrees to starboard before holding it in place while trying to use his wind affinity to clear the fog that was around, “Lookouts! Straight ahead, keep an eye out for reefs and rocks.” He called getting affirmatives from his sentries with Usopp heading up to help out as they sailed forward.</p><p>All was quiet till Usopp sounded off, “Luffy, five degrees starboard.” He called and Luffy turned the wheel slightly as she ship angled to the right slightly just before a rock passed their left nearly scraping the side of the ship while another was on their right just a bit farther away than the one of the left. Luffy sighed as he made sure the water lifted them up slightly in case of shallow water that they couldn’t see before they pulled up alongside a cliff and Luffy stood on the deck before an arrow hit next to his foot.</p><p>This naturally sent the crew on edge as the fog cleared showing several people, clearly not professionally trained, brandishing some bows, pitchforks, swords, and some other items and Luffy held his hand up to keep the crew from trying anything, “Leave this place pirate scum! We were already raided by one band of pirates and we will not allow it to happen again!” One of them shouted and the crew frowned since they didn’t like someone insulting their captain.</p><p>Luffy then shocked them all as he removed his hat and bowed to the ground, “Please, we just want to see a doctor to save one of our crew then we will leave in peace.” He stated while the crew all grit their teeth as it was common for the crew to hate for their captain to bow to anyone, but it was worse for them since it was Luffy who was doing the bowing.</p><p>The islanders didn’t know how to react before a large muscular man with an axe on his back stepped up, “Bring your sick or wounded and we’ll attempt to help, but don’t try anything.” The man, who one of the islanders then identified as Dalton, stated and Luffy nodded before putting his hat back on and went into the cabin to get Nami before he helped her into a heavy coat and thicker pants before he tucked her into his coat and tied her sleeves around him to help carry her.</p><p>As he was heading back outside, his raptor jumped into his coat pocket to keep warm and snuggled in as Luffy went out, “Moor the ship here and everyone be ready to leave after we have Nami looked at. There’s no telling what trouble we’ll find here or how fast we may need to leave, so have everything ready.” He ordered and got a round of ‘Yes Captain’ from everyone as Vivi, Usopp, Makino, Nojiko, Valentine, and Sanji went with Luffy and the rest anchored down the ship and pulled in the sails.</p><p>Luffy quickly jumped to the cliff and followed Dalton to the nearby village where an older guy looked her over before informing them that she was beyond his medicine and their best chance was the top of the middle mountain where a Doctor Kureha, who was the only doctor there was left on the island after the former king left with all the others, lived alone with a creature.</p><p>Luffy looked out the window and frowned at the sight of the towering mountain before turning to Nami, “Nami-chan, do you want me to carry you there?” He asked ignoring the incredulous looks from everyone else as Nami stirred slightly and looked at Luffy slightly.</p><p>“If you can get me there, then yes, carry me.” She stated weakly and Luffy nodded before he channeled another burst of energy through her to keep her stable longer before he lifted her and tied her to his back, “Just don’t overdo it, Luffy-kun.” She stated knowing that taking care of her was draining him.</p><p>Luffy nodded as he situated her better before walking out the door, “Wait, Luffy-kun, I’m coming with you.” Nojiko stated and Luffy looked back before shaking his head.</p><p>“No, you can’t keep up with how I’ll be moving and carrying you is a risk since I don’t want to drop you.” Luffy commented as he looked at her and saw her frown with her hands on her hips and he sighed, “Fine, but I’ll have to carry you too so come here.” He stated and Nojiko nodded with a smile as she came over to him and he lifted her bridal style making her blush before he nodded to the others and turned back to Nojiko, “Hold on tight to me and Nami.” He stated and she nodded and curled in against him while holding on to Nami’s coat before he launched away from the ground causing a burst of snow.</p><p>Everyone that stayed behind gawked at the sight as Luffy seemed to rocket away towards the mountain, “What the hell was that?!?” Dalton, Valentine, and Vivi exclaimed looking on in shock at the fast man while the members of Luffy’s crew just waved their hands.</p><p>“He’s complicated.” They stated in unison before shaking their heads since they didn’t know if they would ever be able to understand how their captain could do what he could and decided just to wait for him to come back.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>With Luffy</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Luffy was jumping as he used his full strength in his legs to launch him as far and as fast as possible while holding Nojiko and Nami to him. As Luffy was leaping across the terrain, he idly became aware that something was watching him as he did and knew it was an animal of some kind from what he was sensing around him, <em>“Damn, dad was right, the more I focus on it the easier it gets for me to sense things in general without trying.”</em> Luffy thought before he came to a stop before an army of large rabbit creatures and they seemed scared of him, “Move.” He stated calmly as he walked forward while Nojiko was ready to draw her pistols.</p><p>However, she didn’t get the chance as the mountain groaned before an avalanche occurred. While Nojiko and the rabbits began to freak out, Luffy frowned before he shifted Nojiko to one arm putting his left hand on her ass, which naturally made her blush, before he extended his right arm and the trees suddenly sprouted multiple branches that formed into a massive wall that diverted the snow around both the rabbits and them before he stopped it once the avalanche ceased.</p><p>Luffy looked at the rabbits gathered and they moved out of the way letting him walk forward after he shifted Nojiko back to both of his arms while she was still blushing. Luffy nodded his thanks before he took off again landing at the base of the mountain that was towering over him.</p><p>Luffy frowned at the height before he sighed and stretched his arms around Nami and Nojiko securing them tightly to him without causing them discomfort before he jumped as high as he could and caught a ledge on the mountain side before he began climbing/rocketing up with Nojiko snuggling into him both for safety and because it was cold while Luffy tightened his hold on her when he felt her get close to him. However, along the way he heard Nami’s breathing get more ragged and grit his teeth slightly before he quickly grabbed an handhold and moved his hand back to Nami to keep her stable again before grabbing the handhold again and walked down the mountain before rocketing up and grabbing another handhold.</p><p><em>“Damn it, I need to hurry. My vision is getting blurry and if I have to keep helping Nami-chan then we are going to all be in danger since this is draining me the longer I have to go. I guess dad was right about the powers getting taxing after a time no matter how small a burst it is and this is only worse since I don’t have this affinity naturally yet, dad just taught me the basics to help my body along.” </em>Luffy thought as he heaved slightly and continued climbing since his father had taught him something that pertained to a person’s body, <em>If my body cannot handle my ambitions, then I must break it down and rebuild it until it can. My physical limitations will not hold me back from my dreams and goals.</em></p><p>Those had been Damon’s words and Luffy had taken them to heart as every time he became exhausted and struggled to move in his training, he slapped himself and went even further until he passed out… then he’d jump back into it once he was awake again. To protect his crew and family, Luffy couldn’t afford to be bound by normal limitations, to be normal would mean that he’d never stand against the likes of the Shichibukai or the Yonkou and they were going to be in his way for his goals and none of them were normal by any definition. So he broke his perceived limitations and continued building up his strength and power to the heights he currently had and was still pushing it whenever he could, though he wasn’t planning on making this one of those times but he had no other option at the moment.</p><p>He broke from his thoughts as one of his handholds broke and he quickly dug his fingers into the mountain and grit his teeth as his fingers scraped against the surface. He wished that he could use his stone affinity to make a way up, but that would drain him more and this mountain was compressed dirt along with stone/rock so it wouldn’t be as effective as he would’ve liked.</p><p>However, he had something that would help but he hadn’t tried it before and now seemed as good a time as any. Retracting one of his hands, he flexed it while focusing on it before his fingers shifted into three inch claws surprising Nojiko while he grit his teeth before he stabbed them into mountain anchoring him in place before he did the same with his other hand and began to scale the mountain again with his fingers quickly stabbing and ripping out of the mountain as he climbed.</p><p>It took Luffy almost a half hour to climb the rest of the mountain and when he reached the top, he was tired and his right hand was bloody since his foot had slipped when he was reaching with his left hand and he had to hold with his right and skidded down the mountain a ways leaving a large gash in the mountain while his fingers were not that well off. Now that he was on top, he quickly set Nojiko down, who gladly got down to give her shared boyfriend a rest before he set Nami down too as an old woman and a reindeer walking on two legs came over to them from a frozen castle just before Luffy collapsed onto the snow covered top making the two people hurry over as his claws receded and he had fingers again, though the right hand was beat to hell.</p><p>The woman checked Nami over while the reindeer was looking over Luffy before Luffy reached out and grabbed the woman with his right hand, “Please, she’s important to me, help her.” Luffy asked with ragged breaths and the woman looked at him before nodding just before Luffy passed out.</p><p>The woman looked at Nojiko with a curious and surprised expression, “He climbed the mountain carrying the both of you?” She asked incredulously and Nojiko nodded surprising the woman and the reindeer, “Regardless, let’s get them inside and out of the cold.” The woman stated before they got Luffy and Nami inside.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Back at the town</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Everyone was on edge, why you ask? Because the fat hippo man that Luffy had sent flying was there and was actually riding a hippo only it was covered in fur while all his soldiers were with him while Dalton was on the ground wounded from trying to fight them and get them to leave. Apparently the hippo man was the former king of their island named Wapol, who abandoned the country when it came under attack. Usopp was currently in a standoff with the jester as both were just aiming their respective bows at the other while Sanji and a guy with an afro that was with the fat guy were staring at each other.</p><p>However, before anything could be done, they all turned as a massive avalanche of snow came at them and they all moved for cover as the snow washed over the village.</p><p>A few minutes later, the hippo broke free with Wapol riding it and his two subordinates went with him to his mountain castle while his soldiers secured the village and kept the others from digging out Dalton, who was buried under the snow. However, they didn’t see one very pissed off first mate to the next pirate king along with a demon of the crew glaring at them and approaching them dangerously.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>At the castle</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Nami stirred on the bed slightly, feeling better than she had for a couple of days now and looked around to see she was in some kind of frozen castle before seeing Luffy on a bed a little ways away from her with his coat hanging on a rack and Nojiko asleep in a chair between them and she smiled slightly knowing Luffy must have gotten them up the mountain. She then turned and saw a peculiar sight of a reindeer on two legs wearing a large pink hat and brown pants staring at her and trying to hide. I say trying because he was doing it backwards in that he wasn’t behind a wall peeking out but was peeking behind the wall and thinking he was hiding, “Hello there.” Nami stated making the reindeer jump slightly, “Are me and my captain going to be ok?” She asked figuring this person was either a Human that ate a Zoan fruit or a reindeer that ate a weird fruit since Luffy had been telling her about the different things a devil fruit could do depending on who/what ate it.</p><p>She broke from her musings when the reindeer spoke, “Yes, you both should be ok.” He stated before he was patted on the hat by the older woman and she walked up to Nami.</p><p>“You’re lucky, girl, that infection and fever you had was going to kill you in the next few days if you hadn’t found a doctor.” She stated as she lifted the shirt Nami was wearing showing a large red and slightly swollen spot on her stomach, “Why the hell you were shirtless in a jungle is beyond me.” She continued and Nami frowned.</p><p>“It wasn’t intentional, we had to go there for our Log Pose and then we got attacked by a pack of raptors so excuse me for getting my shirt torn a bit.” Nami stated with her frown being a pout now and the woman frowned before conceding her point, “What about Luffy-kun?” She asked with some concern.</p><p>The woman waved her off, “He’s fine, he’s just exhausted and his hand needs to heal a bit, but otherwise he is fine.” The woman stated and Nami nodded with a sigh of relief, “Now stay in bed so you don’t aggravate your condition and you should be able to leave within two weeks.” The woman stated shocking Nami.</p><p>“What?!? No, I can’t stay for two weeks! We have somewhere important to be and it’s time sensitive!!!” Nami exclaimed knowing that the situation in Alabasta possibly wasn’t going to hold out for two weeks on top of however long it took to get there!</p><p>The woman didn’t seem to care, “That’s too bad since I can’t very well let a patient in as bad a shape as you go until you’re in the clear.” The woman stated as she poked Nami’s head and walked off with the reindeer still looking at them.</p><p>Nami pouted with her cheeks puffed out before she sighed and looked at Luffy before she smiled and got out of the bed getting the reindeer to panic before Nami pulled Luffy’s blanket back and climbed into the bed with him and smiled at the warmth along with Luffy instinctively wrapping his arms around her before she snuggled into his chest and went to sleep.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>2 hours later</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Luffy groaned as he awoke finding himself in a bed with two weights on him and blinked his eyes a few times to get them to focus and saw both Nami and Nojiko sleeping on his chest with smiles on their faces. Luffy smiled and kissed their foreheads before he gently got out of bed making them whine at the loss of heat and get close to each other making them spoon and press their assets together. If it weren’t for the fact Luffy had to ensure Nami was ok, he’d probably think a few dirtier thoughts concerning their positions at the moment.</p><p>Shaking his head away from those thoughts, he noticed his hand was bandaged and began undoing the wrappings before he heard a quick succession of clacks of something on the floor and found two hooves keeping him from unwrapping his hand any more. Luffy turned and saw the Humanoid Reindeer looking at him with a scared yet serious expression, “Leave those on or you’ll risk getting an infection.” The reindeer stated making Luffy blink before he chuckled.</p><p>Luffy pulled his hand away and kept unwrapping showing his hand was healed fully making the reindeer widen his eyes seeing Luffy didn’t even have a scratch on him when his hand was a mangled mess before, “I heal quickly.” Luffy commented as he undid the bandages entirely and flexed his hand to make sure nothing felt off in the muscle and bone structure.</p><p>Once he was satisfied that his wounds hadn’t left any damage behind, he turned to the reindeer, “So is Nami going to be alright?” He asked the reindeer, who took a minute to process his question.</p><p>“Wha? Oh! Uh yes, she should be fine with bed rest for a few weeks to aggravate her body’s recovery.” The reindeer stated making Luffy frown.</p><p>“Damn, that’s gonna be a problem for later.” Luffy muttered as he was still too weak to try and accelerate Nami’s healing. Sighing to himself he sat in the nearby chair and looked at the reindeer, “So what’s your story? Are you a Human who ate a reindeer fruit or are you a reindeer that ate a Human fruit?” Luffy asked since he knew this little guy wasn’t like the Fishmen or one of the Zoan Kingdom inhabitants that Damon had told him about so that left a Devil Fruit.</p><p>The reindeer merely stared at him a long moment before talking, “I was a normal reindeer that ate the Human-Human Fruit and got turned like this and ended up outcasted by both the reindeer and the Humans until my mentor, Dr. Hiluluk, took me in and nursed me back to health before teaching me about medicine and about how free Pirates were on the seas and even gave me the name Tony Tony Chopper.” The now named Chopper stated with both happiness and a hint of sadness in his voice.</p><p>Luffy smiled slightly, “Sounds like he was more your father than just a mentor.” Luffy stated with a smile making Chopper look up at him quickly with wide eyes, “I mean, he fed you, took care of you, raised you for some time, and even named you. That sounds like a parent and child to me.” Luffy stated with a wide grin that reminded Chopper of Hiluluk and the two began talking about different things whether losses, fun memories, silly stories, and more while only Luffy was aware of the older woman standing outside the room listening to them talk and enjoy themselves.</p><p>She even smiled when Luffy suggested Chopper going with them since then someone would be around to monitor Nami and ensure she didn’t take a turn for the worse. Of course, Chopper tried to deny it stating it was dumb for him to go when he wasn’t Human before Luffy patted his head and told him that being Human was over rated anyway and he should just be whatever he is. Luffy explained that he was a pirate and despite what the World Government and others would try to say about him, he wasn’t a monster that killed innocent people and tried to enslave nations, but he was a monster to the World Government since they condoned acts that Luffy despised. Thus, he was a monster to his enemies, but he was always a friend, brother, or leader to his crew and anyone that was under his protection.</p><p>Chopper was enthralled by his story and the woman could only smile as her mind wondered to Gol D Roger and being the same way with his crew when he was sailing the seas. She idly noticed some similarities between Roger and the boy there.</p><p>It was close to an hour later that Luffy suddenly flicked his eyes towards the cliff edge that was outside the castle and quickly stood before taking his coat and slipping it on and called his sword to his hand before drawing it and walking outside surprising Chopper, the now awake Nami and Nojiko, and the old woman, named Doctor Kureha, as they moved to follow him.</p><p>Upon reaching outside, they found Luffy standing across from Wapol and his two henchmen Chess and Kuromarimo. Luffy stood impassively between the three and the castle as Wapol munched on some form of food while looking at Luffy, “What is this? Interlopers living within MY castle?!? And what is that hideous thing on the tallest tower?” Wapol stated while looking at the group then at the flag at the top that was Hiluluk’s.</p><p>Wapol then frowned before he turned his arm into a cannon and aimed at the flag, pissing an already pissed off Chopper who launched at him and was intercepted by his goons as Wapol fired. However, before the cannon fire could reach halfway to the flag, the shot was cut in half and fell to the ground as a dud. Everyone turned towards Luffy who had his blade in the air and his hair covered his eyes, “Touch that flag.” Luffy started before raising his head making everyone, especially Chopper, took a step back at seeing his eyes, “And I will end you.” Luffy stated with a sneer as his blade hummed with power.</p><p>Luffy then swung his blade sending an arc of wind out that cut Wapol’s arm off. Wapol howled in pain since even if he turned his arm into a cannon, that cannon was still attached to his body and he controlled it. Luffy then walked forward as the blade scratched the ground as he did before he moved and grabbed an arrow that Chess fired at him before throwing it right back and hitting Chess in the leg making him drop his bow and scream in pain.</p><p>Luffy then swung rapidly to cut through a bunch of hairballs that Kuromarimo threw at him before Luffy flexed his right arm and suddenly a stone spike shot up and tore into his left shoulder making him scream. Luffy continued walking towards the three before he drew one of his pistols and shot the two lackies in the head before a gust of wind blew them off the mountain and he stood in front of Wapol.</p><p>Wapol grit his teeth and tried to stand before he launched forward and blasted Luffy point blank with a grin only for a tight grip to grab his throat making him gasp as Luffy emerged from the smoke unharmed and held Wapol there within his grasp, “Luffy stop!” Vivi screamed as they came from the gondola lift and Luffy merely looked at her, “He’s the king of this country, you can’t just kill him.” Vivi stated as the rest of the main crew came up along with Igaram, Dalton, and several of the townspeople along with the crew from Wapol’s ship.</p><p>Luffy merely raised an eyebrow at her, “Really? Well I think you are mistaken.” Luffy stated making Vivi frown, “Dr Kureha, is this your king?” Luffy asked looked at the old woman who caught on to what he was asking before she frowned and shook her head, “Chopper, is this your king?” Luffy asked again and Chopper shook his head. Luffy then turned to Dalton after asking the other townspeople who shook their heads and even the doctors and guards from Wapol’s ship shook their heads when asked “Dalton, is this your king?” Luffy finally asked Dalton.</p><p> Dalton stared long and hard at Luffy before he shook his head, “No, he is not my king.” Dalton stated with some venom aimed at Wapol and Luffy nodded before lifting Wapol off the ground.</p><p>“Then it would appear, that this is a fraud and a liar.” Luffy stated before walking to the edge and looking Wapol directly in the eyes, “Long live the king.” Luffy stated before he stabbed Wapol right through the heart shocking many before Luffy pulled his blade out and cut Wapol’s head off before spartan kicking the corpse off the edge letting it fall to the ground below as Luffy flicked the blood from his blade.</p><p>Luffy then sheathed his blade and walked back to the others while the natives couldn’t believe they just saw Wapol die. Let alone that he was killed by a pirate of all things that wasn’t even trying to raid their home. Vivi and Igaram were just in a state of shock that Luffy killed the ruler of a country and even more that the people of the country were fine with it. Vivi then turned towards Luffy as he checked on Nami and talked with Chopper after handing the old woman a key of some kind. The woman smiled and hugged Chopper as both cried before Kureha stood and had Dalton and some of the others help her with something as Chopper went to his room and packed his things including some books for Kaya to study as Luffy told him he had an in training doctor on board but not a full-fledged one.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Two Hours Later</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Luffy and company, now with the addition of Chopper, sailed away from Drum while seeing the bright cherry blossom rain that Kureha finished for Hiluluk as Chopper had more tears going down his face. Luffy merely patted his head before turning to the wheel and was thankful the Log Poses had set during their time there or there’d be problems for them.</p><p>Luffy had left them flags to fly if they chose to become his territory and under his protection and was even willing to fight the Marines and others if they dared to try and attack the island or <em>reclaim </em>it as the Marines would put it. Kureha had been agreeable to it and flew Luffy’s flag side by side with Hiluluk’s with a few of the towns agreeing and putting his flag up much to the shock of Vivi, Igaram, and Valentine. Luffy had also informed them that there may be refugees coming to them in the future as he had helped some in the past and had freed several slaves from the Celestial Dragons, which shocked the people but Dalton was all for it since he despised the Celestial Dragons since the first time he met one. The fact that Wapol and them got along well was just another reason to hate them for him.</p><p>Once negotiations were finished, Luffy and then prepared to set out with Luffy refusing any supplies they offered since they’d need them and he’d try to get some supplies sent to them soon, much to their gratitude. However, Luffy noticed Vivi seemed to be struggling with something and decided this was something that the whole crew should probably hear as they sailed, “Vivi, what’s wrong?” Luffy asked loudly while steering the ship making a few look to see what the problem was.</p><p>Vivi bit her bottom lip in thought as she tried to form the words correctly, “How can those people just turn their back on the king? I agree he wasn’t the nicest person but still.” Vivi stated and Luffy sighed.</p><p>“Vivi, before you even think that, you should have gotten the whole story.” Luffy stated making her look at him in confusion, “That bastard Wapol, when his kingdom was invaded by pirates, he ran and took all the doctors and soldiers with him except for Dalton. Before that though, he took all the doctors for his personal care stating that the king should be cared for above everyone else and then decided to execute Chopper’s father because he kept helping the poor people instead of letting them make the trip up the mountain and pay Wapol for the doctors’ services. The man wasn’t a king, he was a tyrant and asshole that decided he could take what he wanted when he wanted and anyone who disagreed was someone to be executed.” Luffy stated shocking her.</p><p>“The man was no king and therefore had no right to rule that island. A real king would have ensured his people were taken care of before himself; he viewed it as the people existed to provide him with his position, but his position exists to provide them with a life worth having. Despite knowing the truth, he would have destroyed everything than admit he was wrong, so he had no right to call himself a king.” Luffy stated still steering the ship, “All men and women are entitled to freedom, but if their ruler, king, leader, or whatever you want to call it won’t lead them to it or let them have it, then they have the right to rise up against them to have that freedom whether they get it through victory or get it through death. Personally, I’ll die on my feet before I ever live on my knees.” Luffy stated making many of the crew sound their agreement.</p><p>Vivi didn’t say anything as she was too lost in thought since she was raised that all kings were a benefit to their people, not tyrants that the people would gladly try to get rid of. She then walked to the female quarters to think with no one bothering her since they knew she had a lot to think about.</p><p>Luffy merely watched her before turning his eyes back forward while Igaram was happy that Vivi had learned this. While their King was a good man, she had to understand that not every ruler was one that should be ruling their kingdom and at times it was better for the people if they were removed. The reason that the World Government didn’t do anything was because 1) if they started interfering then who is to say they wouldn’t decide at any time that the current ruler wasn’t one that aligned with their plans and just remove them? And 2) Because the next ruler may not share the same views of the World Government that the previous one did.</p><p>All in all, the World Government essentially had a ‘you support us and we won’t get in your way’ policy unless the leaders really started acting up and drawing too much negative attention.</p><p>It was one of the things that Luffy intended to correct when he started gaining more power and followers. While Damon had explained to him that once he fully matured as a Reaper, he’d be able to stand up to armies of thousands on his own, it was always best to have people you knew could watch your back and ensure you never got blindsided or worn out against enemies.</p><p>He just had to hope he was ready when the war started.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>3 Days Later: Unknown Island</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Luffy steered the ship as it came up on a forested island, which didn’t seem to be inhabited, since the Log Poses were locked onto it and there was nothing they could do until they reset. Since they were going to be stuck here anyway, Luffy ordered the crew to relax, see what supplies there were available, and train till the Log Poses were set. He also wanted everyone back at the ship by nightfall and no one was to go off on their own just to be safe.</p><p>Sanji and Yosaku immediately took off for a run while stating they’d bring back anything they found to eat while Zoro, Johnny, Alvida, and Gin went off to spar. Yosaku went with Sanji since he and Johnny had noticed their different dominant traits: Johnny was faster but Yosaku was stronger so they both decided to push their weaker trait to not have such a disadvantage. Kaya stayed on the ship to study the books Chopper gave her while Chopper was heading out with Makino to find any medial plants there may be. Nojiko and Usopp were setting up targets at varying distances to practice on especially since Luffy wanted Usopp and her to practice knife throwing since if they ran out of ammo or someone snuck up on them then they’d need something faster than trying to whip their weapon around to shoot. Once they wanted to switch gears, then their job was to hit Sabo or at least be able to keep up with him. Nami was ordered just to relax for at least three days under both Chopper and Luffy’s orders and she was complying.</p><p>For Bonnie, Valentine, Koala, and Jack, they had some training time with Luffy so he could get an idea of what they were capable of. The rest of the crew were ensuring the ship was moored correctly and were relaxing on the ground near the ship.</p><p>Luffy led his group to an open area before turning to face them, “Alright, I’ll be working with each of you to see what exactly it is that I can help you improve on.” Luffy stated making them nod, though Valentine was a bit more reluctant since she didn’t even think she was staying on with the crew if she could help it.</p><p>“So how is this going to work? Are you going to give us basic instruction each then go from there or what?” Jack asked before Luffy smirked and closed his eyes a moment before three more of him suddenly appeared surprising the others. One of the copies went with each of the girls to an edge of the clearing while the original was with Jack.</p><p>“So, what can you do?” Luffy asked and Jack flexed his hand making the dirt shift and form over his hand to make a large gauntlet, “So you have an Earth based fruit. Alright, how much have you pushed it?” Luffy asked making Jack frown in thought.</p><p>“Not that much, I only had it for a small amount of time before I was captured. I have some techniques, but not many.” Jack stated making Luffy nod, “So what the hell are you anyway? I’ve seen Devil Fruits before but none that give the user so many abilities.” Jack stated and Luffy smirked slightly.</p><p>“I’m… complicated and it would take a long while to explain it. Though I’m surprised you’ve noticed my abilities since you’re blind.” Luffy stated making him raise his eyebrows, “Don’t be surprised, my eyes are better than many other people. I’m guessing your Devil Fruit let’s you feel tremors through your feet which is why you prefer no shoes?” Luffy stated making Jack nod, “Ok, then one thing to work on would be you increasing your range and focusing on your ears more since there will be enemies that don’t need to step on the ground to attack you.” Luffy stated making Jack nod slowly, “Then we’ll switch off from training while you wear shoes since it will muffle if not blind your <em>sight</em> and then we’ll work on me attacking you from a long range to both let you try to <em>see</em> further and help increase your other senses.” Luffy informed making Jack frown since he hadn’t considered that.</p><p>“After we make progress with that, we’ll have to find you a suitable weapon and working on my own way of handling the sea and Seastone. I will not have a member of my crew possessing such a glaring weakness and you can confirm with Sabo that I have made myself essentially immune to the sea and the Seastone that the Marines use on every Devil Fruit user.” Luffy informed making Jack look curious since he knew of no one with a Devil Fruit being immune to the powers of the sea and this man here was not only claiming to do so but also claiming his… third in command? Possibly. His third in command would verify his story.</p><p>If that was true then Jack had found someone worth sailing with and the fact he wasn’t a weakling afraid to attack the Celestial Dragons and their ships further cemented this. It also meant Luffy could help himself and Jewelry Bonnie get their revenge on one specific Marine and another person since they were responsible for slaughtering their crews and sending them to slavery at the request of a fat noble.</p><p>It was that moment that Jack and Bonnie had sworn revenge for their crews and had stuck together in their processing to be slaves to slowly be sent out and sold. Then like a twist of fate for it’s own amusement, Luffy and his crew actually attacked and won against the convoy that was responsible for transporting them and against one ship that convoy should have easily won!</p><p>He smirked slightly finding this crew to be very interesting, though outside of Luffy, Makino, and Sabo their strength was debatable since it was clear those three were the big guns of the group regardless of anyone else’s views and positions.</p><p>He broke from his musings as Luffy motioned for him to get ready and grinned at the prospect of getting stronger.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>With Valentine and her Copy</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Valentine was very confused since first the guy decimates her and her asshole partner, then takes her on his ship, then attacks a Celestial Dragon convoy, continues doing weird and impossible things, and now he wants to train her. She hadn’t considered training since her floating and then crashing down on an enemy worked just fine… until Luffy came along that is. She knew that for a Devil Fruit’s power to really show, you had to train and practice in it, but Valentine didn’t want to risk someone higher than her viewing her as a threat and her current way of attacking worked fine.</p><p>Now, now she had someone who not only bested her and killed her partner, but had power beyond anything she had seen in her life and he wanted to train her! She wasn’t even a part of his crew officially, mainly just staying on board since she’d be assassinated by Baroque Works or killed by someone on the crew when she tried to leave. Although, part of her was telling her that he latter wouldn’t happen due to Luffy, but she didn’t know why.</p><p>She was broken from her thoughts when Luffy started to speak, “Ok, so besides going extremely light and heavy, have you practiced anything else?” He asked and she shook her head making him nod, “Ok, do you lose any muscle mass or strength when you change your weight?” He asked and she shrugged clearly not having tested that theory, “Ok, do your powers only work on you or can you use them on others such as slapping someone and making them feel couple thousand kilograms heavier?” He asked and she stared at him blankly making him sigh, “Okaaay, what about testing to see if you could put more than just one thousand kilograms of weight on something or even go higher than 10,000 kilograms when you launch yourself at someone?” He asked and she just stared at him blinking owlishly making him facepalm.</p><p>Valentine had the decency to look sheepish, she wasn’t a combat oriented kind of girl so she never thought of her powers from a fighter’s point of view and now that he mentioned the possibilities possible after some testing, she felt really bad about not trying out her powers. Maybe if she did, she would’ve been ranked higher in Baroque Works or even been a better fighter to not have to depend on Five so much.</p><p>Luffy then sighed breaking her from her inner musings, “Alright, first we’re going to see what extent your powers can reach and what you’ll need training in in order to reach those peaks. With your ability to lower and increase weight, you’d be a monster in a fight and able to do a lot of different things if my theories pan out.” He stated making her nod as she listened to his instructions feeling a sense of… anticipation at the prospect of getting stronger.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>With Koala and her copy</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Koala was panting in exertion as her Luffy wasn’t asking her questions, he just came at her with the intent to pummel her into the ground and she reacted accordingly while being amazed that he was anticipating and keeping all of her attacks from making contact aside from her fist meeting his hand. She wasn’t even holding back and he was treating her as if he was a master in the martial arts and she was just a beginner. Even her thousand brick fist was stopped by his palm before he gave her a hard punch to the gut that made her nearly blackout and vomit.</p><p>Luffy meanwhile was analyzing her stance and style since Damon had given him a breakdown and analysis of the Fishman Karate and found it lacking in several areas. For instance the whole thing was based around power since most Fishmen used it in the sea where they were naturally faster thus on land they were much slower than in training but compensated that for raw power. However, this made a big flaw since if you can’t hit your opponent then what was the point of having the one hit win?</p><p>There was also the fact there were several people who could take one of those hits and keep coming and at least five them were on his crew. It was evidenced in their stance, the amount of hits they could take and still keep pushing, and more that they were not an opponent that just a one hit move would stop them unless you were able to deal a definitive death blow such as destroying the heart, brain, or severing the head. Ironically, it was one such thing that was needed in order to move up certain ranks in both the Marines and the Rebels since if they made you a commanding officer, they damn well wanted to be sure you didn’t die in one hit and leave the people following you leaderless.</p><p>Luffy broke from his musings as he analyzed another flaw in Koala’s movements: she always planted her left foot before attacking. That would not do at all since professionals would notice that pattern and aim for the leg to ensure her moves became even slower and less powerful. Now if she had been doing this to bait an enemy then that wouldn’t be that much of an issue, but if she was doing that and still trying to do it even after Luffy showed he wasn’t falling for it then there was a problem. There was also the fact she clearly hadn’t taken too many beatdowns in her learning since one punch that he would give Sanji, Zoro, Gin, Sabo, or even Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku and she had been stunned and in pain for a good five to ten seconds and he could have dished out a lot more hits in that stunned couple seconds and even could have killed her. IF they went against a Commodore or anything higher in the Navy ranks and Koala faced off against them then she’d probably lose.</p><p>While Captain, Lieutenant, Sargent, Corporal, and Commander were all gimme ranks, the higher ones were all fought and earned in some way whether hunting pirates, doing a service for the World Government, assassination though that was kept much more descreet, or even all of the above. It was why most pirates weren’t afraid of captains in the Marines, but if a Commodore showed up then they’d start getting tense and anything higher than that just made things worse for pirates. Considering Luffy’s no doubt at least tripled bounty after raiding the slave convoy, they wouldn’t let anything less than a Rear Admiral level Marine hunt him, though he knew Smoker would still be chasing him regardless since the man had obviously never had a beatdown before so finally getting one would push the man to become stronger after getting nothing but bottom feeders for opponents.</p><p>But back on task though, Koala would need a lot more speed and some extra power, which meant she was getting the weights treatment to both make her go faster and hit harder. There was also the fact she essentially telegraphed her movements as she prepared to attack, she got angry too easily shown via her frustration while facing him, she couldn’t read her opponent and act accordingly, and other issues that he’d have to correct before anything too dangerous occurred.</p><p>Now he just had to show her how much she still had to work on. How to do that you ask? By beating her down into the ground to get his point across.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>With Bonnie and her Copy</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Bonnie was nervous since she hadn’t been much of a trainer or fighter before. She had mostly been able to go about her pirate time just being seductive and tapping anyone she could to reduce their age to that of a toddler then steal anything they had and leave. She hadn’t ever been a fighter or pushed her Devil Fruit to the limit, but then again maybe that was why she was in this situation in the first place.</p><p>She would train now if for no other reason than to get revenge on the bastards who killed her crew and branded her and Jack. She just honestly had no idea where to start and was hoping Luffy had some ideas. If he didn’t then it was going to involve a lot of trial and error on her part, which it would be with Luffy helping her, it would just be easier if he was helping her.</p><p>She put her attention back on Luffy when he spoke, “Alright Bonnie, have you tried anything with your powers besides touching people?” He asked and she shook her head making him nod, “Ok, since your power is so unique this is gonna involve some practicing and experimentation. If your powers can work the way I think they do then it is possible that you may not have to touch someone directly to affect them.” He stated and she nodded while focusing on him entirely, “Alright, the first things we are going to do is work on your physical capabilities since if you have the metabolism of all the different age groups then you may also have the energy and stamina meaning you could easily outlast most opponents and increasing your physical prowess will help in that regard since you can’t depend on your powers forever.”</p><p>He stated and she nodded already knowing that from her fight to help keep her crew alive, “Next we’ll see if your powers can affect things that aren’t people such as trees and animals since that could be used in other ways later on but it would be dangerous to know if it would even work until we test it and make sure.” Bonnie nodded again seeing as how she hadn’t thought of using her powers on objects, animals, or plants and was curious about the results herself, “We’ll then move onto the experimentation part until I can find you a suitable weapon since you can’t fight unarmed all the time as that becomes risky.” Luffy continued making her nod again and Luffy nodded before beginning her instruction.</p><p>He just hoped then when the bounty hunters and Marines started coming out of the woodwork that the crew would be ready to handle everything. His training may seem harsh now, but with what he was doing and planned to do his crew had to be ready to face the harshness of the world and the cruelty that the World Government had to offer.</p><p>Only time would tell for his crew.</p><p>
  <strong>DONE! Next time will be Alabasta and reactions to things.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>I’ll see you next time. Please Review, fave, and follow.</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Alabasta PT.1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luffy and co are making progress to the Kingdom of Alabasta, along the way they get word of Luffy's new bounty, but they aren't the only ones who get word and there's plenty of fun to be had once they arrive in the desert kingdom.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Hello all and welcome back for the start of the Alabasta arc as well as Luffy’s new bounty.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>No excuses beyond that shit happened and here we are, so moving on.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Only a couple things to mention. First, the majority of you wanted Koala to stay with Sabo so she will and I may have her with Luffy in a future fic.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Second, still want some weapon suggestions for Bonnie since NO ONE suggested anything</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Not much else to add so let’s get to the usual stuff.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Disclaimer: See previous chapters</strong>
</p><p>“Speech”</p><p>
  <em>“Thoughts”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘Conversation thoughts’</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>“Non-humanoid/pissed off Luffy voice”</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“Above’s thoughts”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>‘Above’s conversation thoughts’</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>{Flashback}</p><p>
  <strong>CHAPTER 7: Alabasta PT. 1</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Open Sea: 3 Days Since Last Chapter</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Luffy and the others relaxed as the ship sailed, hopefully, towards Alabasta with the main crew, or officers as their deckhands began calling them, still working on a few things along the way. Nothing too dangerous to use on the ship, but still necessary and effective nonetheless as they still had things to refine and master even when they weren’t on solid ground.</p><p>Currently, Jack had shoes on his feet and was trying to see/adapt to not seeing even remotely well to adequately well since the ship normally sent vibrations through his feet well enough for him to move about easily, even if things were a bit fuzzy. Now he was dealing with things being VERY fuzzy, but that was because Luffy wanted him prepared for potentially walking barefoot in the sands of Alabasta since that would make his “vision” fuzzy as well and he needed to be prepared to wear shoes since the scorching desert could burn him if he walked barefoot too long or they traveled to one of the hotter sections of the desert.</p><p>The fact he may be fighting Baroque Works’ agents on sand and not solid ground only heightened the need to adjust to fighting with poor “sight” compared to other times. Unless of course he decided to stay on the ship the whole time, which seemed unlikely as this gave Jack a chance to have a real fight in a long time.</p><p>While Luffy had a decent amount of information about Baroque Works, there was no telling if they had expanded or kept agents hidden away until things began to look desperate or Crocodile called them back because his plan was getting closer to being accomplished. From what Luffy had learned about the man, Crocodile was overly ambitious and wouldn’t tolerate anyone interfering or screwing up in his plans and those that did were soon sent to the after life for such things. Same for if you knew his name in connection to Baroque Works..</p><p>Hence why Valentine was so terrified because she failed and now knew his name.</p><p>Speaking of the former Baroque Works woman, she was currently sitting on the deck working on her powers by slowly increasing the weight of a feather gram by gram until it was around 5 pounds, then slowly turn it back to its original weight. She was doing this to become familiar with increasing the weight of something to a certain point and then stopping before doing it in reverse. She was doing it slowly as it would give her control and keep her from getting distracted and accidentally making the feather go up into the thousands of pounds. If she could master this, then she had a broad spectrum of potential combat options to her whether that was making her umbrella a deadly weapon or immobilizing an enemy because they weighed 10,000 pounds. There was also the speed and evasion potential since she could make her weight to that of a gram while keeping her muscle mass and strength and move at high speeds or leap far into the air.</p><p>She just needed control first.</p><p>Nearby, Koala was going through her katas while now sporting weights to not only increase her strength but her speed as well. After the beating Luffy gave her, he had healed her up a bit and then had her working on her speed and how observant she was so she’d be aware of her opponent’s moves and actions as well as her surroundings. If she couldn’t out speed an opponent then she at least would be able to mentally keep up and anticipate them. It was safe to say getting her ass handed to her opened her eyes to how much she still had to learn and she was motivated to do so.</p><p>Also nearby was Bonnie who had a cutlass in hand and was channeling her powers into it to make it go from rust covered to sparkling new to dull to fresh from the forge and back again to get a feel for how much time she was removing from the object in question. If Luffy was right, she could restore things to what they were at a certain point in time, which meant she could be a literal life saver if need be as she could potentially reverse wounds, though that was likely only helpful so long as the person was alive. She could age and reverse affects, but it was doubtful she could return someone to life.</p><p>Of course testing out her powers on people was still a ways off since she needed more control, but the prospect was there to aim for.</p><p>There was also the unknown factor of if the time she took added to her own life and then shortened it when she aged someone downwards. Hence why Luffy cautioned her against overdoing it with her powers since she could possibly kill herself by aging too many people without taking in some vitality to compensate it.</p><p>Down below, Zoro was sparring with Yosaku, Johnny, Alvida, and Gin to get their skills sharper as Luffy had them pair up with one being blindfolded and the other using a wooden sword or swords in Gin’s case. Reason being they needed to learn to extend their senses beyond their sight and be able to fight when they couldn’t see. Plus, this would eventually lead to them training for Haki if they had it.</p><p>Haki was a useful power, granted Damon had helped Luffy take it even further evidenced by his Killing Intent working like Conqueror’s Haki only it could be lethal if Luffy wanted. However, for his crew to learn and break the limits they had on themselves, Haki was a good progress point for them to aim for. If they could master one or even both of the lesser ones, Armament and Observation, then that would open a whole new realm of possibilities for their powers, skills, techniques, and talents.</p><p>Makino and Sabo both had the lesser two and both had Observation to such a degree that they could sense their surroundings easily, the drawback was that so long as there was no direct threat to them then Observation was not as effective. It was essentially a heightened danger instinct that would tell you to move if you were in danger.</p><p>Arguably, Armament Haki was more beneficial all around for them since Makino could stay far out of the line of fire and pelt people with arrows that could puncture high grade steel armor like it was wet paper and Sabo could move so fast that there was only a rare percentage of people that could keep up, let alone hit him.</p><p>That wasn’t to say the two didn’t train and practice with Observation, they just didn’t get as much of a benefit from it as the others likely would.</p><p>Speaking of the others, Usopp was working on making Nami a new and better staff for her with Luffy giving him some input and ideas as well as some methods on how to achieve better results. Usopp was also planning to use some of those ideas and methods on the crossbow he had and the bolts for said crossbow to ensure he had a variety of bolts and options in the field.</p><p>Sanji was educating some of the lesser crew on how to cook and prep food so he had some help in the kitchen and so if he and the others were away from the ship, the rest of the crew would still get fed. There was also the bonus that if at any point they wanted to go to one of Luffy’s territories instead of sailing constantly, there would be more cooks available widespread.</p><p>Nojiko was instructing a group of members on how to properly maintain, clean, load, disassemble, reassemble, and work the different guns. While a bit daunting, Nojiko was thankful for Bellemere’s help in this regard since Bellemere wouldn’t let her sleep until she had disassembled and reassembled one of each of the different types of guns that the villages took from the now deserted Marine base. Since there were 9 different types of guns, and Bellemere had her break them down after multiple hours of training to use them, Nojiko didn’t get a lot of sleep during those days before they set sail from Coco village.</p><p>Now she was putting it to good use and teaching the lower crew members how to do everything that was crammed into her head.</p><p>Igaram was giving his own input since he used firearms as well, plus his duty as Captain of the Royal Guard of Alabasta meant he had trained recruits in sword and firearm combat before. He wanted to repay these people in some manner, but since Alabasta wasn’t that rich of a country that meant money wasn’t going to be that suitable an option, so giving their new crew some training seemed the least he could do to start repaying them.</p><p>Kaya was in the living area of the ship studying material that both Chopper and Luffy gave her since she wasn’t practicing with her Kama until later when one of the others was free to spar with her.</p><p>Chopper was going around checking on anyone who still had some injuries or problems that weren’t fixed after Luffy freed the crew. When he wasn’t making his rounds, Chopper was reading some of the books Luffy had since they were a few he hadn’t read before. He was also mentally preparing himself since Luffy had told him he wanted him to train to fight as well. Reason was that just because he was a doctor didn’t mean he would be exempt from fighting, if anything him being a doctor meant that he would be targeted by their enemies to ensure he couldn’t heal any wounded that were still alive. Luffy didn’t want him as a sitting duck, so he wanted him training and practicing his Devil Fruit to get an even better grasp of what he was capable of.</p><p>Chopper had accepted since he knew the world was bad, even worse after he learned about slavery and the cruelty of the Celestial Dragons, and it wasn’t going to do him any favors. Luffy had promised to keep him from the fighting if it was possible, but eventually the little reindeer was going to have to fight and be prepared for it when it did occur.</p><p>Sabo was going around the ship checking over things and bringing things to different areas as needed. He was mainly keeping busy at the moment since there wasn’t much else for him to do unless Zoro or one of the others wanted to train with him.</p><p>Makino was lounging near the helm and commenting on corrections to the course as the Log Poses moved. She was also petting the little raptor Luffy had and was now named Echo since he seemed to make his own noise whenever Luffy spoke and mimicked him if he nodded or shook his head. Makino and the others of course thought it was cute.</p><p>Luffy was at the helm enjoying the quiet while it lasted since he knew there was going to be a war soon, and Alabasta would likely be the powder keg to ignite it. If he could, he would have held off for a few months to keep training his crew to new heights, but Alabasta would be doomed by that point and that was unacceptable to him.</p><p>So, he’d have to get them prepared through fire and pain and hoped they got through it all right.</p><p>Vivi was near him just leaning on the railing and lost in thought on what to do about different things. She had always believed the government was helping people, the Celestial Dragons actions notwithstanding, but now after each thing she’d seen, she wasn’t so sure anymore.</p><p>Near them was Nami, who was lounging on a chair since Chopper still wanted her taking it a bit easy and to not stress her body too much. She had done some light training with Luffy before he decided it was enough and had her relax, which she did with the newspaper and a glass of wine courtesy of Sanji as she sat and relaxed.</p><p>All was calm and peaceful… until….</p><p>“HOLY SHIT!” Nami shouted drawing a lot of attention as she was gawking at her newspaper.</p><p>“Something wrong?” Luffy asked and Nami quickly scrambled up to her feet and came over with the newspaper as the other crew members came up to the deck to see what was going on. Luffy raised his eyebrow before looking at the paper and smirked seeing his picture there.</p><p>Makino then leaned in and widened her eyes, “Oh my.” Makino stated as Luffy chuckled knowing this was going to get a LOT of attention. “For crimes against the World Government, destruction of World Government property, sedition, piracy, anarchy, assault and murder of Marine soldiers and officers, stealing Celestial Dragon cargo, and attacks on Celestial Dragon ships. Monkey D. Luffy is wanted dead or alive for the price of 450,000,000 Beri.” Makino read shocking everyone while Jack snorted.</p><p>“Of course, only mentioning cargo being taken, not specifically stating WHAT the cargo was.” Jack stated making many murmur in agreement since not everyone knew the Celestial Dragons could just take anyone they wanted as a slave without anyone stopping them unless they wanted to be killed.</p><p>“True Jack, but there are a LOT of people who do know what cargo the Celestial Dragons usually transport. So they can’t hide that even if they don’t openly state what the cargo was.” Luffy stated making Jack nod, “Besides, I’m sure the Revolutionary Army will publish their own report stating it was a slave ship and that will spur a lot of people.” Luffy continued as Koala nodded knowing that they did do that, though even she didn’t think anyone in the army had openly attacked a Slave Transport ship.</p><p>Sabotage, infiltrate, intercept when they docked, or mark to rescue later? Sure. But outright attack and raid? Not that she knew of.</p><p>She idly wondered what Dragon’s reaction to this would be.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>REVOLUTIONARY BASE: UNKNOWN ISLAND</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Dragon was in a meeting with a few of his commanders going over some different matters including their recent liberations. One matter of note was one of his commanders, Ivankov, was captured and currently being sent to Impel Down and would shortly be out of their reach for a time. While the man was… unique, he was still a capable fighter and commander and as such they’d have to find a way to rescue him soon or risk losing him permanently.</p><p>Everyone stopped the discussion as one of the grunts came charging in, “General Dragon! Sir! You need to see this!” The young woman shouted frantically as she brought the paper over to Dragon, who raised an eyebrow before looking at it.</p><p>Both his eyebrows rose up when he saw the report on Luffy, “I see.” Dragon muttered as he looked over the report thoroughly.</p><p>“What is it, sir?” One of the assembled commanders asked with curiosity clear in their voice.</p><p>“There’s a pirate here with a 6 digit bounty.” Dragon stated making them raise their eyebrows in confusion.</p><p>“And?” Another commander asked not seeing what the interest was.</p><p>“He got that bounty by attacking a Celestial Dragon Slave Convoy.” Dragon stated making them all widen their eyes, “He apparently destroyed the escort entirely and then raided the slave ship before taking the slaves with him and leaving the ship behind. It’s even more impressive because he’s from the East Blue and has only been a pirate for under six months.” Dragon continued surprising the commanders further.</p><p>“Did they free the slaves or did they simply take them to sell to one of the auction houses?” A third commander asked and Dragon hummed.</p><p>“I’d bet the latter, this pirate is the one I sent Koala to join.” Dragon stated making them widen their eyes in surprise.</p><p>“So… we have a potential ally out on the seas.” Another commander commented and Dragon nodded.</p><p>“So it seems.” Dragon stated with a small prideful smile, he idly wondered what his father thought of this since he hated the Celestial Dragons as much as Dragon did, he was just trying to advance and fix what he could from the inside over directly spitting in their faces.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>AMAZON LILY</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>A woman was sitting on a throne relaxing as a snake creature was nestled around her protectively while different women in bikinis and belly dancer drapes stood guard. They all were incredibly beautiful and had snakes with them while two women easily towered over the rest and were standing next to the woman on the throne. The woman was the Shichibukai Boa Hancock, ruler of Amazon Lily and leader of the tribes that inhabited it, while the two women near her were her sisters Sandersonia and Marigold.</p><p>Hancock was classified as the most beautiful woman in the world and took advantage of that in multiple ways especially since her Devil Fruit only worked on those who found her beautiful, and was no doubt part of the reason for her legendary beauty. Not that many cared since they were too infatuated and head over heels for her to care what she did at any point and time, save for a few of the highest ranked Marines but even then they had a hard time focusing when shew as around. A slight side effect, though it was much more to do with trauma from her childhood, was that she despised men both for being pigs, chauvinists, and miserable cretens that if they weren’t necessary for reproduction should be wiped off the earth.</p><p>She was currently lounging around since she had just returned from an outing where she destroyed another wanted pirate crew, which was her job as a Shichibukai: Immunity from all crimes and her own small territory and in exchange she was to attack all other pirates and split the bounty and treasure collected with the Marines.</p><p>Of course there was a line drawn for the immunity, but because of her position the Celestial Dragons weren’t able to come here and take any of her people as slaves, which included any that were on her ship any time she left the island, nor could the Marines attack it without MAJOR just cause.</p><p>The peace and quiet she was enjoying was interrupted as the doors to the chamber were flung open and a small older woman came rushing in, “Princess! Princess! You need to see this!” She shouted as she approached making everyone look at her in confusion.</p><p>“What is it?” Hancock asked as she looked at the woman in confusion.</p><p>“Th-There’s a… huff… a bounty on a new pirate.” The woman stated as she panted as Hancock and her sisters frowned while the woman sent the other women in the room to wait outside.</p><p>“And why is that important?” Sandersonia asked as the doors closed and the woman panted a minute.</p><p>“He… he attacked a slave convoy!” The woman stated shocking Hancock and her sisters as they froze in disbelief.</p><p>“W-w-what did you just say?” Hancock asked in a shaky voice.</p><p>“He attacked a slave convoy! Destroyed the escorting ships, killed the officers on the ship itself, and then set all the slaves free and took them with him!” The woman continued as she handed the paper to Sandersonia, who handed it to Hancock.</p><p>Hancock shakily looked at the paper and the article on the raid. She saw the picture of Luffy looking over his shoulder towards the camera and couldn’t help the shudder that went through her at the look in his eyes. It was a look she had seen many times in many slaves. It was the look of someone that couldn’t be bargained with or bought, someone you couldn’t break or tame, the only way to stop them was to kill them because they weren’t going to backdown otherwise no matter what was offered.</p><p>A man with moral convictions who wouldn’t be stopped until he was dead.</p><p>She thought all such men were long since extinct, but perhaps there was at least one man she could tolerate if the need arose, as unlikely as it was.</p><p>She idly remembered Fisher Tiger.</p><p>“Onee-sama.” Hancock heard Marigold say causing Hancock to blink and look to her sisters and see they had concerned looks. “Are you all right?” Marigold continued making Hancock tilt her head.</p><p>“Yes, why do you ask?” Hancock as she didn’t know what caused the concern.</p><p>The two sisters looked at each other uneasily before Sandersonia spoke, “Onee-sama, you may not realize this, but not only have you been staring at the paper for five minutes, but you’re also crying.” Sandersonia stated making Hancock widen her eyes before she touched her face and saw that indeed she had a few tears going down her face.</p><p><em>“Why? I’ve not cried since I was a child, so why am I crying now?” </em>Hancock thought to herself in confusion since she truly didn’t understand why now she was shedding tears.</p><p>It couldn’t be from this man’s actions. It was ridiculous, stupid, and completely impossible to happen. She knew it wasn’t from memories of Fisher Tiger since she never even met the man, only saw a few glimpses of him when he broke them out of their cells during his raid of Mary Geoise to rescue the Fishmen there, though he was kind/merciful enough to free all the slaves there despite his clear dislike for Humans. Even so, she still felt respect, thanks, and happiness when thinking of the Fishman.</p><p>Sure this man had saved some slaves, but did he do it out of convenience or because he was actively looking for the ship?</p><p>Would he save all slaves or just those he decided were worth the effort?</p><p>Would he continue to spit in the faces of the government?</p><p>Was he abusing the slaves or treating them like people?</p><p>Did they choose to stay with him or was he dragging them along against their wishes?</p><p>Was there a huge point since unless you scarred the area you couldn’t get rid of the mark?</p><p>Would she be ordered to hunt him down? So the government could get what they wanted but insult her at the same time?</p><p>Was he going to keep raiding Slave Convoys?</p><p>Was he doing this for the right reasons or because he simply wanted to piss off the government?</p><p>Too many questions and no answers or information available to her to formulate answers. She needed to know what about this man caused her to release tears for the first time in over 10 years.</p><p>“I-I want all of our informants and contacts watching this man. I want to know as much as possible.” Hancock ordered as she reined herself in some to not seem eager and keep the tears back more.</p><p>The older woman nodded, “It will be done, Princess.” The woman stated before bowing and leaving while wondering what this man could do if he actually met their princess.</p><p>Hancock was silent as she sat there staring at the paper even longer. “Let’s see what this man will do now.” Hancock stated knowing that his bounty would bring pressure down on him and he could cave into it and take an offer to replace a Shichibukai and part of that would be to turn over the slaves he took.</p><p>The question now, was whether he would stand against the world  or crumble to save his own skin?</p><p>Time would tell if that sliver of hope in her heart was warranted or just the last remnants of a scared naïve stupid little girl who had long since died. The little girl that wanted to believe there was another wonderful reckless fool out in the world that would challenge the Celestial Dragons, just because he could.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>MARINE HQ</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp sat in his office while ignoring his old friend Sengoku complaining about the fact his grandson Monkey D. Luffy had just made a BIG wave in the world and it was making several of the top members nervous that they were going to have a pirate version of Dragon running around. If he kept up this amount of attention, they were going to send Garp or one of the Admirals after him.</p><p>Garp tuned him out as he read the detailed reports of the surviving crew from the different ships and similarly ignored when Sengoku got annoyed and sat down in a huff. Garp didn’t know who it was that trained Luffy, but he couldn’t deny his grandson had grown leaps and bounds compared to what he originally thought he would do. The fact that that boy Sabo and Makino were with him was also surprising as well.</p><p>However, it was the reports of his abilities that truly got Garp’s attention. Currents suddenly shifting against the normal flow.</p><p>The wind becoming like razors and cutting apart sails.</p><p>Creating a ball of light that destroyed a Man O’ War in one hit.</p><p>Creating waves of water that completely demolished a Frigate.</p><p>Stretching his limbs into the water to grab the hull of the transport and pulling it in towards his own ship, a Brig outfitted like a Frigate.</p><p>Garp had no idea how Luffy was able to do all of that, but he already knew what part of this had Sengoku concerned and it wasn’t the attack on the transport. It was the fact that those powers were similar to what they had reports of that entity called Reaper had from his few appearances they could track. If he was connected to Luffy now, then the higher ups were only going to get even more paranoid and agitated since Luffy was displaying powers similar to him.</p><p>However, there was a BIG detail that Sengoku missed that Garp noticed when he looked at the names of casualties and those that survived. “Sengoku.” Garp stated getting his friend’s attention, “Did you look at the names of casualties vs the names of those survived?” Garp asked and Sengoku frowned at the random question.</p><p>“Of course, I had to oversee and sign the condolence notifications.” Sengoku stated a bit irritably.</p><p>“No, I mean did you LOOK at the names.” Garp stated handing the two lists to Sengoku, who frowned and looked intently at the lists before his frowned deepened.</p><p>“I recognize this name, and this one… and these too, and these here.” Sengoku stated before he looked up at Garp with his eyebrows raised as he knew every name on the casualty list, and not for good reasons.</p><p>“Everyone on that casualty list are those that have been investigated by Inspector Generals or at least were punished for different crimes and violations of the laws. The survivor list, minus the slave master, are all people who have never committed a heinous act, been questioned about their actions, been implicated in some scandal or crime, or even been looked at by the Inspector Generals.” Garp stated as Sengoku looked back over the names and finding his friend was right.</p><p>“So… a coincidence.” Sengoku stated and Garp just gave him a ‘are you fucking kidding me?’ look.</p><p>“Maybe for one ship, but for the entirety of the convoy? Even the ships that were utterly destroyed, there were survivors that are good, honest, hard working men that truly believe in real justice instead of the justice of the nobles.” Garp stated and Sengoku frowned further.</p><p>“What are you saying? That your grandson has a spy in our ranks that gave him details?” Sengoku stated and Garp frowned.</p><p>“Doubtful, but still possible. However, I think it was more than that.” Garp stated and Sengoku frowned, “He’s got powers similar to that Reaper guy.” Garp stated and Sengoku sucked in a hard breath of air as he sat ram rod straight.</p><p>“You think he could “see” their souls like The Reaper claimed?” Sengoku stated and Garp merely shrugged.</p><p>“It’s possible, but nothing we can confirm at this moment. Regardless, he did us a small favor while at the same time pissing off the Celestials.” Garp stated and Sengoku frowned at him, “I’m just saying, he cleaned out quite a few of the problems we had in our lower ranks and thus they can’t shame us and bring more heat down on us or spur others to join the Revolutionary Army and he spared the good soldiers that can still learn and grow to be officers that will be good for the future of the Marines.” Garp stated making Sengoku scoff.</p><p>“And you like the fact he pissed off the Celestials, though I’m sure part of you wished he hadn’t since this is gonna bring a lot of problems down on him.” Sengoku stated and Garp shrugged.</p><p>“Maybe, but he’s my grandson, if you take a shot and miss, you’ll never get another one because he’ll ensure he kicks your ass next time you meet.” Garp stated with his large Cheshire grin in place as Sengoku felt his eyebrow twitch.</p><p>However, he couldn’t deny the bit of truth in that statement since they had tried to remove Dragon time and again and each time they failed it got that much harder to get another shot at him. It was the same for Garp, each time someone failed to kill him he came back even stronger and fiercer than before, hence him being able to go toe to toe and even bring down Gol D Roger.</p><p>If Luffy was anything like his predecessors, they had one shot to kill or capture him or he was going to be even more trouble for them in the future.</p><p>Garp merely smirked at Sengoku doing his thinking face and looked back at the reports again. Despite his annoyance at Luffy being a pirate and being so brazen, he felt proud that his grandson was already this strong and was willing to say a big ‘FUCK YOU’ to the government and Celestial Nobles. He just hoped he was ready for all the shit he just brought down on his head because bounty hunters, thugs, Marines, and maybe even the Shichibukai would be after him now.</p><p>Sengoku was right that more attention meant more threats coming down on Luffy, but that was something he always knew would happen if Luffy followed his dream and Luffy knew it was going to happen as well. Although, he doubted Luffy knew the extent of the higher ranked Marines’ power, he hoped the brat would keep training seriously and show his potential.</p><p>If they ended up meeting along the way? Well, Garp would deal with that when he got to it, though he’d most likely use his fists to do so.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>BACK WITH LUFFY</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Zoro merely looked at the paper, “Huh, you’d think with us helping we’d get bounties too.” Zoro stated and a few of the others nodded.</p><p>“You’d think, but it could just be they couldn’t identify you. I mean my picture was still brand new in circulation so a lot of people knew my face, it wouldn’t be that hard for them to identify it as me leading the crew that sacked the ship.” Luffy stated making Zoro nod seeing his point.</p><p>“Besides, it’s not like we won’t get a bounty soon anyway just from traveling with him.” Makino stated since merely being on a crew with a bounty usually resulted in you getting at least some kind of bounty on your head as well.</p><p>Maybe not as impressive as the main bounty, but still a bounty nonetheless.</p><p>“When we’re done in Alabasta, I’m sure there will be bounties on us. Beating the shit out of a Shichibukai and his organization while saving a country is going to get even more attention on us. Beating a Shichibukai is a big enough attention grabber since they are government pirates and beating one isn’t supposed to happen, so the government and other higher ups are going to be flipping out when it happens. The fact we are saving a country from their own lapdog also throws mud and dirt on the government’s face as they appear so inept that they couldn’t control their own soldier from destroying a founding country’s government for who knows what orbit looks like they secretly sent Crocodile there to assassinate the Royalty and take over to better run the country for the government.” Sabo stated making many widen their eyes at hearing the implications.</p><p>“I know why.” Luffy stated as he directed the ship making everyone turn towards him, “Robin-chan is supposedly able to read the language of the ancient world, the type that makes up the writing on Poneglyphs.” Luffy stated as he looked at Igaram and Vivi making them stiffen and widen their eyes, “I heard some things from my dad about different stories and the like, and Alabasta’s royalty are said to protect a holy site that no one but them are allowed to see personally.” Luffy stated as everyone looked at Vivi, who was looking away from everyone. “However, I can guess that it’s not so much holy, as it is ensuring no one tries to decipher what’s on the Poneglyph. That then leads to the question of what could possibly be on it that they would be so terrified of and would ensure not even the World Government knew about, but can’t get rid of since those stones are VERY hard to destroy. Thus that leaves one item in particular that could cause such fear and worry about SOMEONE reading the ancient language that’s there.” Luffy stated as the crew was hanging off of every word while Igaram was switching his attention between Vivi and Luffy in confusion while Vivi was sucking on her bottom lip.</p><p>Luffy turned to look at Vivi, “That Poneglyph gives the instructions on how to make one of the Ancient Weapons, doesn’t it?” Luffy asked and Vivi froze as the crew all gained shocked or horrified expressions on their faces along with Igaram.</p><p>Why wouldn’t they? The weapons were the stuff of legend and horror/ghost stories about the damage, chaos, and destruction that was caused by them during the unknown century that the World Government wanted to keep buried and forgotten. Of course there were those who sought those weapons out because with one you could challenge any force in the world with little trouble save for someone having one of the other weapons or just an incredibly massive force to face you, with two you could take over the entire world if you knew how to use them against the third, and with all three, there was no possibility of you being challenged by anyone.</p><p>You were essentially a god on earth if you had all three.</p><p>So, to hear that there were instructions on how to build one was shocking and terrifying all in one.</p><p>Luffy saw Vivi’s shaking form and continued, “Based on the fact it’s instructions or blueprints, they are for either Pluton or Uranus since Neptune isn’t a machine, it’s a living being. Going further based on an educated guess that one rumor says Pluton was originally built at the seaport of Water 7 and Uranus has no known legends of what it actually is at least on this side of the world, I’m  going to say it’s Pluton” Luffy stated making Vivi look at him in shock as he just gazed at her. “Want to tell me I’m wrong?” Luffy asked as Vivi merely stood there nearly drawing blood on how hard she was biting her lip.</p><p>Makino merely smiled sadly at her before going over and hugging the girl, “Don’t worry, we’ll stop Crocodile and make sure no one finds that Poneglyph.” Makino stated as Vivi tried to relax in her embrace.</p><p>“B-but boss! If you had that then-“ One of the lower crew stated before Luffy cut him off.</p><p>“Then I’d have every admiral in the Marines after me with their infamous Buster Call warships being sent at me as well and I’d have the Revolutionary Army after me to get the ship and my help to crush the World Government and my refusal would then mean both the Marines and the Revolutionary Army would be after us along with every power hungry mad man wanting to take over the ship and declare themselves the king of all they witness. Pluton may be an Ultimate Weapon, but even if can be brought down through time, effort, and continued attacks on it since repairing the thing would NOT be cheap, refilling the ammo it uses would not be easy or cheap, and getting enough trustworthy people to man the entire ship effectively would be its own chore. There’s also the fact we’d have to ensure it was never left alone or out of sight for long because if myself and the other officers here were to leave the ship, could all of you handle an Admiral or some such taking the chance to seize the ship for the World Government?” Luffy asked and the crew member immediately paled while everyone else saw the logic behind the denial.</p><p>Power was great, but being able to fully utilize the power and keep the power was another problem all together.</p><p>“So no, we will stop Crocodile and save Alabasta, but then I’m going to destroy that Poneglyph and ensure no one will EVER be able to read or use it.” Luffy stated as everyone muttered their agreements while Vivi looked at him in surprise.</p><p>Access to one of the most powerful weapons in the world and he gladly, readily, and easily turned it down like he was being offered a drink of water. Then again maybe she shouldn’t be so surprised, it wasn’t in Luffy to conquer and destroy just for the sake of being in command. He may be a pirate, but he had more honor and respect than many of the nobles and officials she had met in her life.</p><p>Luffy was so strange for someone claiming to be a pirate, but then again if he wasn’t she’d probably not be getting a ride home and would instead be held captive to be ransomed back instead. Not to mention what some lesser/crueler people would do to her just because she was a woman.</p><p>She hoped that maybe her future husband would be like him since if Luffy treated his crew like he would his subjects, he’d make an incredible king and Makino’s glow about her clearly showed that Luffy knew what he was doing when alone and-</p><p>She blushed at the line of thought and quickly shook her head since it wasn’t likely she’d see them again after Alabasta was saved.</p><p>…</p><p>…</p><p>…</p><p>That thought made her feelings turn somber as she was friends with these people and now she was unlikely to see them again in a friendly setting. Especially since Luffy gaining more notoriety would mean it wouldn’t be safe for them to visit regardless of what they did for Alabasta. Playing willing host to a notorious pirate was not going to help make the World Government continue trade and financial stability to the region since the World Government could just blockade their country and stop all trade and resources coming in for support and aid that was needed during the years where harvests were poor and the people were at risk of starving.</p><p>No, unless Luffy reached something equivalent to a Yonkou, there was no way they could knowingly let him into the country.</p><p>No, her friends would have to leave after saving her home and it was unlikely they would see each other again for a long time.</p><p>It was sad, but it was best for everyone, even if it hurt her to do it so her people could live on in peace.</p><p>Such was the life and duty of a Crown Princess.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>LATER: ALABASTA BORDER</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Luffy directed the ship along the coast before coming to a stop next to the shoreline of a small town of Nanohana with only Luffy, Sabo, Makino, and Zoro being in any kind of mood that wasn’t worry or problematic. The reason for the others was because they met a man calling himself Bon Kurei after he apparently fell off his ship and Usopp “caught” him while fishing for some extra food. The man had been weird, but friendly while showing off his Devil Fruit powers that allowed him to turn his body into that of anyone who’s face he touched, which of course meant a few of the others didn’t stop him from touching them before he showed them his power in full. Though Luffy did threaten him when he tried to show off his naked chest while having Nami’s body and as such was NOT acceptable.</p><p>Bon Kurei had apologized, mainly while shaking in fear and hiding behind Usopp, who also mentioned if he did that to Kaya then he was going to hurt him too, and Luffy accepted the apology. However, it wasn’t until after his ship came and got him did Vivi suddenly realize that Bon Kurei was Mr. 2 of Baroque Works.</p><p>Naturally, that caused everyone to freak out while Vivi was apologetic for not noticing sooner. Luffy was calm through the whole thing before pointing out to everyone that they each had identifiers that Mr. 2 couldn’t copy. Luffy had his own accessories and weapons that were unique to him and had his Devil Fruit on top of it.</p><p>Sabo, Alvida, Jack, Bonnie, and Chopper had their Devil Fruit powers.</p><p>Makino had her bow.</p><p>Usopp had his crossbow.</p><p>Kaya had her senbon and Kama</p><p>Sanji had his cigarettes.</p><p>Zoro, Yosaku, and Johnny had their swords.</p><p>Koala had her Fishman Karate.</p><p>Gin had his tonfas.</p><p>Nami and Nojiko both had their tattoos, evidenced by when Mr. 2 was trying to show off Nami’s body, he didn’t have her Tangerine/Pinwheel tattoo on the shoulder, which led Luffy to believe he could only copy certain things/what he could see of someone and both girls had their tattoos covered due to the shirts they wore.</p><p>On top of all of that, they each had their clothes as well since Mr. 2 couldn’t copy their outfits only their bodies.</p><p>However, this just further reinforced some things Luffy was telling them, namely them all getting to know each other as family, comrades, friends, and Nakama. To know each other so well that no one could ever possibly fake being them, could ever pretend to be a member of the crew that someone missed or didn’t really communicate with, or any other forms of infiltration or espionage. Know their likes, dislikes, personalities, their dreams, their fears, their joys, their sorrows, their heartache, their happiness, everything that there was to know about them.</p><p>To know what was fact from fiction.</p><p>What was real from what was fake.</p><p>What was genuine from what was pretend.</p><p>To be able to spot any intruders easily because they didn’t belong and couldn’t prove that they did because the crew was so tight knit that it was impossible to infiltrate it.</p><p>The crew was your family and you were to always know and trust your family.</p><p>That was Luffy’s creed for his ship and future crews as he gained his own fleet and he wanted his crew to fully understand and realize that.</p><p>OF course, that didn’t have any direct bearing on what was happening right now as Igaram was sitting on Vivi’s pet duck Karoo, “Princess, I shall go on ahead to Alubarna and try to warn the king about what is happening, hopefully he’ll be able to settle matters with his words and actions while getting the rebels to stand down.” Igaram stated as Vivi nodded and hugged him.</p><p>“Thank you Igaram, stay safe.” Viv stated as Igaram nodded while Luffy walked up.</p><p>“Make sure you’re careful, Igaram. Crocodile has had YEARS to get agents into different areas of the country for his plan, meaning he could have royal guards, town guards, shopkeepers, vendors, palace servants, and all of that. Make sure that the only people who see you or Karoo are the ones that you can without a doubt trust, or he may realize we’re here and will either expedite his plans or send one of his agents to kill you and Vivi before you can even hope to tell the king anything.” Luffy warned and Igaram nodded knowing that he needed to ensure he only spoke to and saw those that there was no possibility that they worked for Crocodile.</p><p>“I will, please keep the princess safe, Luffy-san.” Igaram stated and Luffy smiled and nodded.</p><p>“Of course, you just worry about yourself and Karoo, we’ll take care of Vivi and Mr. Sandy.” Luffy stated with his smile being infectious as Igaram smiled before he and Karoo took off to the north.</p><p>Luffy then turned to address everyone else, “All right, we head into town and get what we need quickly and quietly then we’re out. We’ll move the ship up river to save some time and ensure any Marines possibly snooping around can’t follow us easily and we’ll be mostly out of sight. The priority is clothing and water, but anything else useful is fine to grab just make it quick since I don’t want to linger here too long and risk getting reported either to the Marines or Baroque Works.” Luffy ordered making everyone nod before he turned to Vivi, “Stay on the ship for now. We can’t exactly have the princess that’s being targeted wandering around out in the open just yet. I’ll have Nami grab you a cloak while in town so you can at least be somewhat hidden as we move.” Luffy ordered making Vivi nod her head since like Luffy said, there was no telling who was a Baroque Works agent and as such could report her return to Alabasta to Crocodile.</p><p>With that said and done with, Luffy left several of the crew behind to watch over the ship and Vivi as they went into town with proper attire, supplies, and most of all water being on the priority list with other things being lesser, but could still be obtained if there was time. Luffy also ordered that no one went anywhere alone, they were always to be in at least pairs so there was less chance of being ambushed or picked off by enemies they didn’t know were there.</p><p>Zoro was with Luffy when they came across a problem: Smoker and Tashigi had apparently chased after them from Loguetown and were now here. In fact, they were standing right in front of them with both having their respective weapons out and at the ready while Zoro had a hand Wado and stood there. Luffy merely glanced at Zoro knowing his friend had wanted to see Tashigi pushed and pushed hard.</p><p>Now it was time to see if she was slacking off or training seriously the past few weeks since they last met.</p><p>Luffy looked back at Smoker and could feel he was indeed stronger than last time, but not enough for Luffy to consider him a threat. He guessed Smoker was the type that got stronger by having his ass kicked, the harder the kicking the stronger he got.</p><p>Well if that was the case.</p><p>Luffy smirked before he was gone and Smoker only had enough time to widen his eyes before he was hunched over gasping in pain as Luffy’s fist was rammed into his gut and he was sent hurdling down the street, slamming into the ground at different points and even going through three carts. Luffy rotated his neck a bit before catching Tashigi’s sword with his thumb and forefinger shocking her as she couldn’t budge an inch.</p><p>Luffy merely turned his eyes on her and Tashigi stiffened as she felt like an apex predator was staring down at her, “Your fight is with him.” Luffy stated turning his eyes to Zoro as he pushed Tashigi back and started walking towards Smoker as he did while tossing some money pouches to the people who owned the carts.</p><p>Tashigi stumbled before righting herself and was about to go after Luffy again, when she suddenly twisted to block a strike from her right.</p><p>Following the blade to who was holding it, she saw Zoro standing there with an unreadable expression. “I give you an A on speed, but a C on execution.” Zoro stated making Tashigi’s eye twitch before she pressed his blade back and then jumped back to give herself some room.</p><p>Zoro smirked, “I hope you’ve been practicing, I’d be disappointed if you’re still at the same skill level I left you at.” Zoro stated as he readied Wado for combat not wanting to risk the fight with his other two since Kitetsu wouldn’t restrain itself and Yubashiri was still being adjusted too since it was so light.</p><p>Tashigi frowned, “I have been, and I promise you that you will lose this fight!” Tashigi declared and Zoro smirked.</p><p>“If you’ve got something to say, say it with your sword.” Zoro replied as Tashigi narrowed her eyes before charging at Zoro with her blade at the ready.</p><p>Zoro smirked and charged in to meet her.</p><p>Over with the others, they had finished fighting a few Marines and incapacitating them before beginning to leave, though the area was a bit damaged from their small skirmish. A few misthrown grenades and some deflected or missed bullets kind of left a bit of a mess, but nothing too serious to repair or replace. Naturally, they sent the grunts back with the supplies, clothing, and provisions while they kept the Marines at bay while Sabo helped move the supplies while handling some Marines blocking the path.</p><p>Once they were incapacitated, they began leaving before it turned into a sprint to leave as they heard the crashes occurring nearby and knew it meant Luffy and/or Zoro was fighting, which was the cue to leave town before there either was no town or Marine reinforcements came to investigate.</p><p>Luckily they finished their shopping so there wasn’t a problem with getting out of town and heading for the ship to leave until the others got back.</p><p>“Dammit! What the hell could have caused Luffy-kun or Zoro to pick a fight?!?!” Nami shouted as they hurried.</p><p>“Distracting the higher ranked Marines so the rest of us could get away without risking the supplies?” Yosaku provided and Nami blinked before groaning.</p><p>“Okay, fair point.” Nami stated as they kept running not noticing a shirtless man with an orange cowboy hat, black pants, boots, and a red beaded necklace overheard them as they ran.</p><p>“Luffy’s here? Well sweet! Have to make sure he’s not slacking off and has been working on his powers properly.” The man stated with a grin as he went to see the fight that was apparently taking place.</p><p>Though calling it a fight was a bit generous.</p><p>Over at said fight, Smoker was panting as he had a nasty cut along his torso, several smaller cuts all along his arms, legs, and back, some bruises, a few cracked ribs, and his left arm felt like it was broken, but it wasn’t so bad he couldn’t use it if push came to shove. Across from him and still looking fresh as a daisy was Luffy, his sword in hand as he stood there completely calm.</p><p>Smoker grit his teeth at the fact he was still being handled like a child by this man. He had never had a problem facing pirates before, whether they had a Devil Fruit or not, but this man was treating him like he was some fresh recruit from the academy.</p><p>It made no sense!</p><p>How could a pirate fresh from the East Blue possibly have this much strength and power? It would be one thing if he was actually trying to fight, but Smoker could easily see he was just toying around since there were several instances where he could have run his blade through Smoker’s heart or head and instead went for a lesser wound.</p><p>For whatever reason, Luffy wasn’t trying to kill him only wound or break him slowly.</p><p>Why? No idea but it was insulting to him and aggravating.</p><p>Luffy merely smirked at Smoker, seeing the wheels turning as he tried to work out what was going on and why. Truth be told, Luffy didn’t know why himself, he was just disappointed that Smoker was as weak as he was and wanted to push him into growing stronger. As such, he was beating the shit out of him since both gramps and Damon both felt pain and combat could bring out the best in you when it was given in enough quantities.</p><p>So he needed to keep beating Smoker until he started keeping up better.</p><p>With that in mind, he launched at Smoker again, who tried to keep up with his Jutte but wasn’t succeeding as Luffy delivered multiple hits with his fists, legs, and the back of his sword before a hard spin kick sent him crashing into a wall.</p><p>Smoker fell to the ground hacking blood as Luffy stood there before sheathing his sword. “You’ve gotten better, but you’re not there yet. Find me when you want another rematch, but I better see some improvement.” Luffy stated as he walked away as Smoker grit his teeth as he couldn’t move to even try to stop him.</p><p>Walking over to his friend, Luffy saw that Zoro was standing there with Tashigi on her knees panting with her blade on the ground. She had several nicks and cuts on her, but nothing too serious, life threatening, or disabling. Mostly annoying or wearing down hits, likely him giving her some reminders when she messed up an attack or some other item.</p><p>Zoro was teaching/testing her but not holding her hand along the way either.</p><p>“Zoro, time to go.” Luffy called as Zoro nodded and sheathed his sword as Tashigi looked on in shock.</p><p>“Wait a minute! We’re still fighting!” Tashigi stated as Luffy looked at her with a raised eyebrow.</p><p>“You’re on your knees, exhausted, wounded, and can’t even stand anymore, how exactly are you still fighting?” Luffy asked as Tashigi blushed in embarrassment at the fact she really couldn’t get up. “That’s what I thought, see you around.” Luffy stated as he and Zoro took off while Tashigi grit her teeth.</p><p>The two ran through the streets dodging or knocking away any Marines that had gotten back up or come reinforce those that were already in town. While staying to fight would have been entertaining, they didn’t have a lot of time to waste on small fry since more time on them meant more time for even more to show up and cause headaches and more time for Crocodile to fulfill his plans.</p><p>As they rounded a corner, Luffy glanced back as a wall of fire rose up blocking any remaining pursuers and smirked knowing who was responsible for that. Sabo would be happy too, assuming he wasn’t going to be a dick and take off without even saying hello.</p><p>Turning back forward, Luffy leapt over a wall with Zoro following him before they hightailed it to the ship and set off towards the river while the Marines were busy putting the fire out.</p><p>As they started off, Luffy paused and smirked before turning to see the man in the cowboy hat sitting there with a grin on his face, “I was wondering when your ugly mug would show up.” Luffy stated making the man laugh before he walked up and hugged Luffy, who gladly returned it.</p><p>“Hey, I’m the pretty one of the three of us, so if I’m ugly what does that make you?” The man laughed before he then hugged Sabo when he came up.</p><p>“Delusional, as usual.” Sabo stated as the three laughed before they locked arms with matching grins.</p><p>“The three misfit sons, together again.” The three echoed with a laugh as everyone looked on in confusion while Makino was smiling at the scene.</p><p>“C’mon, you should meet my crew.” Luffy stated as he pulled the man over with a grin, “Everyone! Meet me and Sabo’s brother Ace!” Luffy exclaimed with a cheesy grin as everyone looked on in surprise while Makino giggled.</p><p>“Nice to see you again, Ace.” Makino stated shaking his hand while he grinned at her.</p><p>“Nice to see you too, though I still can’t believe you got with this blockhead.” Ace stated before falling to the deck as Luffy smacked him on the head.</p><p>“Smarter than you are, dumbass!” Luffy growled as Ace rubbed his head and stood up.</p><p>“Damn, you really do hit harder than you used to.” Ace stated with a laugh while Luffy smirked and Sabo grinned.</p><p>“Of course, unlike some people I don’t slack off on getting as strong as I can.” Luffy stated and Ace snorted.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah. So what are you up to on Affinities?” Ace asked and Luffy held a hand up making Ace nod. “Good, though I figured you’d be further along, unless none of them are compatible?” Ace asked and Luffy shook his head.</p><p>“A few are, but I haven’t had the chance to practice them together. One pair I’ve already got their combined form of, but a majority I’m missing one of the base 10 to create them all effectively. I’ve been trying to force some of the others, but you can tell how that went.” Luffy stated making Ace nod while most of the crew was looking at each other in confusion.</p><p>“Well shit, here I was hoping you’d be able to show me any new stuff I could do with my Devil Fruit.” Ace stated as his hand caught fire before it condensed in a ball and he tossed it in the air where it spun before bursting in a shower of sparks.</p><p>“The Flare Flare fruit. Unfortunately, Fire is one of the ones I don’t have along with Lightning, Natural, Negative, and Living. I have Wood, so that’s a start, but not nearly as high as I want to be.” Luffy stated making Ace nod.</p><p>“So, Ice, Metal, Mud, and Sand?” Ace asked and Luffy nodded. “Damn, all right. Can’t do much of that since I don’t know if my fruit would trigger something or not.” Ace stated with a sigh as Luffy shrugged.</p><p>“It’s all right, so you joined White Beard huh?” Luffy asked making most of the crew gawk at the duo as Ace nodded.</p><p>“Yeah, one of his Division Commanders. Was thinking about asking if you wanted to join too, but I know that’s not gonna happen, but if it comes to it, I’ll fight for White Beard and you’d better make it a good one.” Ace stated as Luffy laughed.</p><p>“Yeah, though I doubt it will come to that, since I doubt White Beard wants One Piece.” Luffy stated making the lesser crew look at him surprise.</p><p>“What? Of course he does.” Ace stated with a frown while Luffy merely raised an eyebrow.</p><p>“Ace, he’s had decades to find it and has seen more of the Grand Line than even the World Government plus he knows Roger’s old crew personally, so they could have told him at any time. That leads to one of three possibilities: 1) He knows where it is and has chosen not to go after it. 2) He doesn’t know where it is but has decided to leave it alone for someone else to take the title. 3) He did find it, but has chosen not to lay claim to it for whatever reason he feels. My bet would be that whichever it is, he keeps the search going because if the infamous White Beard is hunting for One Piece then it must exist and that then inspires the next generation to strike out and make something of themselves. It also has the added bonus of pissing off the World Government because they’ve been on a major propaganda campaign to discredit One Piece existing. If that happened, White Beard would have to watch the age of freedom and piracy die out till only petty thugs and amateurs were left besides his crew and that’s something he doesn’t want to see at his age.” Luffy stated making Ace frown since he couldn’t refute any of that, hell rumor was that only White Beard and Red Hair were looking for the treasure out of the four Yonkou.</p><p>Big Mom and Kaidou were content just having their territory while earning their own wealth and status through it.</p><p>“Okay, can’t really fight you on that, but don’t think that pops is gonna just let anyone get through his territory to get to One Piece.” Ace stated with a grin as Luffy smirked.</p><p>“I don’t doubt it, but if he thinks I’m going to kneel, bow, or pay homage then he’s got another thing coming.” Luffy stated with a grin as Ace laughed.</p><p>“Yeah, I know.” Ace stated before he turned serious, “By the way, have you encountered a man named Teach? He’s been calling himself Blackbeard.” Ace asked and Luffy frowned before shaking his head.</p><p>“Nope, sorry. He was at the Drum Kingdom at one point, but that was months ago.” Luffy stated as he had heard from Chopper and the doc about how Wapol fled after a man calling himself Blackbeard attacked.</p><p>Ace nodded, “Yeah, I already checked there. Asshole came this close to killing a friend of mine when he betrayed White Beard and swiped some important items on his way out, counting a new Devil Fruit we obtained. I’ve been after him ever since.” Ace stated with a growl as Luffy frowned feeling something was off about this concerning the Devil Fruit.</p><p>“Ace, do you know which fruit it was?” Luffy asked and Ace frowned in thought.</p><p>“The… Dark Dark Fruit.” Ace stated Luffy stiffened and clenched his hands tightly.</p><p>“Ace… You will NOT fight that man alone if you find him.” Luffy stated in a deadly serious voice as Ace frowned.</p><p>“What? Come on, I can handle that chump easily and he won’t have had enough time to truly master it.” Ace argued, but stopped as the look in Luffy’s eyes told him there was NO discussion or argument to be had.</p><p>“Ace, you WILL promise me that you won’t fight him without backup. You do NOT fuck with Darkness or its capabilities, even  a low level Darkness user was dangerous for dad before he fully mastered his powers and talents. You will NOT fight him without backup and you WILL take it seriously when you fight, are we clear?” Luffy stated as he remembered a discussion with Damon when training with his early Affinities.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>FLASHBACK</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>A younger Luffy was on the ground panting after working with his Stone and Wind affinities and was trying to catch his breath while Damon was standing there looking at him with a smirk remembering his days of exhausting himself in training his Affinities. It was a literal and proverbial hell to endure and master the 50 he had, but it was worth it in the long run even if there were some he didn’t like to use unless he had no choice in the matter.</p><p>Luffy, however, was thinking about his Affinities since he knew Stone came easiest for him, but he felt he was getting the hang of the Wind affinity pretty well too. However, that was leading him to wonder if Stone would be his strongest or if it was just the most natural one he’d use. “Hey dad.” Luffy stated making Damon tilt his head at him, “What’s the strongest Affinity?” Luffy asked and Damon merely hummed a moment.</p><p>“Well, that’s a bit of a complicated question Luffy, as it’s really the dependent on what you mean. If you mean what Affinity has the most effect on everything, then that would be a tie between the Natural, Negative, and Living Affinities as they are essentially the building blocks for all the others. If you mean which Affinity will be strongest for you, then that’s an unknown as that can change depending on how your body adapts and how much you train in each one.” Damon stated before he glanced at his arm for a moment and instinctively flexed it, “If you mean the one that is the most dangerous to go against, I’d say it was the Darkness Affinity.” Damon stated as he stared at his arm.</p><p>Luffy merely cocked his head to side, “Why that one? Aren’t there more advanced ones that are harder and more dangerous? “ Luffy asked in confusion and Damon nodded.</p><p>“Yes, there are harder ones to control, but all of the truly dangerous Affinities rely on Darkness as it’s base. It’s even more influential than Negative is in those types. The reason being as just like the base three, Darkness exists everywhere and you can’t truly destroy it: You can push it away, make it flee, even make it hide in fear, but you can’t truly kill it. Darkness is also all consuming, everything eventually falls to it, even Light can fall as Light always gives Darkness life in the form of shadows and the two war with each other. A master of the Darkness Affinity can crush nearly everyone they face save for someone who has a stronger mastery than them, even one of the large scale abilities can fail against it if the Darkness is hungry enough to swallow it whole and never let it escape. Light, fire, water, earth, stone, lightning, all of them can be consumed by Darkness. There’s only one Affinity that is guaranteed to defeat Darkness all the time, but it’s also the hardest Affinity in existence, evidenced by the fact that I am the only known person to ever unlock let alone use it.” Damon lectured making Luffy’s eyes widen.</p><p>“What Affinity is that?” Luffy asked in curiosity as Damon smiled and leaned down whisper in his ear as Luffy looked at him in surprise and confusion while Damon had a happy and content smile.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>FLASHBACK END</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Damon had then talked to him thoroughly on the dangers and advantages of each Affinity when it came to using them against another, and that meant Ace was at a major disadvantage against this Blackbeard since even if Ace possibly had years of practice with his Flare Flare Fruit, the Dark Dark Fruit could easily eclipse that just on raw power and capability. If Luffy had the Fire Affinity, then he could potentially help Ace make up the difference, but he didn’t and thus this was just wishful thinking until he could get said Affinity and help his brother.</p><p>He then scattered those thoughts since they weren’t going to do any good right now and focused on Ace, “Am I understood Ace? Promise me.” Luffy stated and Ace frowned before nodding with a sigh since he knew Luffy had his reasons.</p><p>“All right, fine, I promise I won’t fight him alone and I will take it seriously if/when it does happen, but I refuse to let what he did slide. Our crew is a family, and he betrayed that.” Ace stated and Luffy nodded. Ace then frowned and pulled a pocket watch out of his shorts and looked at it before frowning, “Well, guess that’s my cue to go.” Ace stated with a sad smile as Luffy and Sabo sighed.</p><p>“All right, but take care of yourself, yeah? Last thing either of us need is to come save your sorry ass when you get captured.” Sabo stated as Ace snorted and punched his arm before he waved and jumped off the ship onto his small boat and started sailing towards a large swarm of ships with the Baroque Works insignia emblazoned on it.</p><p>Ace merely grinned darkly from under his hat as he looked at the ships, “You shouldn’t have messed with my little brother.” Ace stated as his hands engulfed in fire as he approached.</p><p>Luffy and Sabo merely blinked as the Baroque Works ships were set ablaze in a near instant stopping any and all pursuit of them as they continued towards the river to stash the ship and proceed on foot.</p><p>“All right, let’s get moving everyone! We got a lot of ground to cover.” Luffy ordered making the crew sound off as they began easing the ship through the river dodging rocks and sandbars as they did.</p><p>With any luck, the war would be stopped in the next couple of days before Baroque Works could truly ignite said war to fully consume the country.</p><p>Well, luck and some skill on their part because if nothing else, they were going to be doing some fighting while here.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>DONE</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Next time will be the second part and maybe end of the Alabasta arc along with a few others things depending on how long some different items take and go. Hopefully within a reasonable timeframe since life seems to be bouncing back and forth over things.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>For those who missed it, I’ve started a Pat-reon (remove the – for those unfamiliar with it) to help get some of the stress off my life and thus make it easier to get chapters out for you all. If you’d like to become a patron for me, you can find me on pat-reon under my writer name. If for some reason that doesn’t work, you can find a broken up link in my “Heads Up” “story” on FF or you can go to my heads up item on here on Archive and a full link will be there for you to use.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>To those who don’t know what Pat-reon is, basically you guys sign up and pledge a certain amount of money a month to me to basically make it easier for me to produce content for you and depending on how much you pledge you get different perks such as a shout out in chapters, a look at what I plan to do for future chapters, pick a pairing for me to do, pick someone to bash/kill, early warnings for when I am about to do release a chapter, a look at future fics and chapters that aren’t next to be posted, and even giving me an Omake to do. I plan to add more benefits/perks later on as I get more patrons as I can focus more on my writing and rewarding my patrons, I also plan to do Pat-reon only polls in the future so there is that incentive as well.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Speaking of: Shout out to my supporters on Pat-reon: Lyndsay Schwartzkopff, Michael Welsh, Jeff Broderick, Woolleymammoth, and Taurus Frederick. Thank you for giving your support and for the future support you are giving.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Also, got a poll up for what Luffy’s sword will eventually become.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>That’s it, see you all next time.</em>
  </strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>